The Aces of Razgriz
by Blaze118
Summary: Becoming a pilot was a dream for Antonio "Blaze" Castillo ever since he was young, and then it became an obsession when his father died during a mysterious attack on an air show when he was eight. With his goal of becoming a pilot completed, Antonio must fight a war that no one saw coming while fighting to keep his humanity and other dark secrets intact.
1. Prologue: Antonio Blaze Castillo

**The Aces of Razgriz**

**Prologue: My name is Antonio "Blaze" Castillo **

I couldn't believe what was happening. I could do nothing but cry as I watched the pilot of that plane release his bombs on the spectator stands where my parents were. Everything just seemed to slow down as I collapsed on my knees, staring at the flames that engulfed all those people. I looked up to see the pilot circle low overhead. I couldn't see his face because of his helmet and oxygen mask, but I could see his eyes. Those piercing, green, smiling eyes… I'll never forget that day

"Antonio? Antonio, are you okay," asked my mother.

I was sitting across the table from her in the dining room. It was the first time I got to see her in the past year since I left for flight school. She was a forty-six year old Master Gunnery Sergeant in the Marines. She and my dad were both my inspiration as to why I joined the Marines, but my mom's friend was the reason why I decided to become an officer.

"Yeah, I was just wondering if you were going to make it to my graduation," I said softly." Lt. Colonel Harkin said he'd try to get you in as a V.I.P," I said with a slight grin.

"I might be extremely awkward for a Master Gunnery Sergeant to be mixed in with a bunch of young Lieutenants," she said cautiously.

"I don't think you have to be in uniform," I said as I held her hand. She put her other hand on mine and leaned in closer to me and told me that my dad would be proud and that he still loved me, no matter where he was. I'd like to think God had taken my dad away from me for a reason. Part of me thinks it was because he didn't do a good job as a father. Another part of me thinks it was because he wanted my dad to pay for the people he killed in the war fifteen years ago. Thoughts like this crossed my mind all the time; there was a reason for everything. I looked at the clock on the stove and I noticed that my flight back to Heierlark Air Force Base would leave in a couple of hours. I got up from the kitchen table, grabbed my bag from my room, and headed out the door so that I could wait for my ride to the airport. I was saying my good-byes to my mother when a red sedan pulled into the driveway of my mother's house. The car belonged to a family friend, Lieutenant Colonel Nathan Harkin. He was a forty-nine year old man who looked like he was in his late fifties. His fierce brown eyes told the story of a battle hardened man who's seen a lot of horrible things in life and yet, he was always able to keep a positive attitude. If it wasn't for him, I'd probably be in jail or worse.

"You ready to go kid," said Harkin. I hated it when he called me kid.

"Ready when you are, sir" I replied

I liked Harkin, not just because he was like another father to me, but he was a Mustanger, an enlisted military person who later becomes an officer. He knows how much officers, fresh out of college, like to abuse their authority over the enlisted. Harkin was the kind of guy who knew when to crack the whip and knew when to let things slide. He taught me how to look out for myself and without his and my mom's support, there was no way I could've gotten to where I was.

"Well Antonio, you're in the home stretch of reaching your dream," said Harkin.

"Well I'm just glad I'm almost done with this, sir."

He hated it when anyone called him sir or saluted him, but I did it just out of respect. Lt. Colonel Harkin was a former fighter pilot who flew in the war 15 years ago. He flew with some of the best aces all over the world and I loved it when he told me about his time in the air. I guess it was because I've always wanted adventure in my life. That was only a small reason as to why I joined the military and decided to become a pilot. When I flew a plane for the first time, the pilot I flew with thought I was a natural. I remembered everything about the first time that I flew a plane and the initial reason I wanted to become I pilot. Harkin and I talked about everything together and he was one of the very few people who got me. He even gave me some advice that actually helped me meet my first steady girlfriend, even though it didn't end well. The thing was I never really knew that much about Harkin. I knew he worked for the government and that he knew my family from way back in the day. He was divorced and had a son who never really talked to him for some reason. I got the feeling he was hiding something that he was ashamed of and I knew it wouldn't be right if I asked him about it.

When we got to the airport, Harkin saw me off and made sure I got on the right plane because when I first went off to flight school, I boarded the wrong plane and arrived at my destination a day late. Good thing inclement weather postponed my other classmates' arrivals and I didn't get in too much trouble. I was conducting my flight training at Heierlark Air Force Base in northern Osea, but the locals referred to it as South Belka. Lt. Colonel Harkin was stationed there once and he said that he loved going out into town just to hang out with his friends. I didn't have any friend at Heierlark because of all the bitterness everyone had towards me. The only good thing about it was that I had a crush on a girl there, even though I didn't she ever thought about me. One reason I never talked to her was because I feared the regulations against fraternization and because I thought that a relationship with this girl would end just as badly as my last relationship, so I never really made any attempt to talk to her.

I was headed back to Heierlark in a C-17 with a bunch of other people who were stationed at the same base I was. I saw three other pilots from my class, board the plane with me. Their call signs were Shadow, Hoover, and Tito. Shadow was a cocky little son-of-a-bitch who thought he could outfly anyone. Hoover was a content pilot. He knew he wasn't the best and he knew he wasn't the worst so he satisfied himself knowing that he was good enough to hold his own in a one on one fight. Tito was jumpy little guy who never thought before he acted and I bet that was the reason the instructors thought he was a great pilot. He was lucky, nothing more and nothing less. The flight back to Heierlark was peaceful for the most part. I prefer first class on civilian airlines, but this was the military after all. We did get our benefits, but they weren't as good as they used to be after President Harling made the cuts in Osea's defense budget. The military wasn't a military anymore; it was reduced to nothing more than an oversized defense force. I really didn't mind it as long as it didn't keep me from flying. It was one of the main reason I joined the Marines. My mom, dad, and uncle served, but they didn't get to do anything I was able to do. Being a Lieutenant did have its perks and it gave me a wider range of opportunity in the military. My mother's MOS was supply, meaning that she helped manage equipment for the military like spare parts for vehicles, combat gear, tools, and other things of the sort. She was heavily injured the day half of my family died a Curtis Air Force Base but she managed to pull through. Even after all the injuries my mom suffered, I was surprised that she still stayed in the military. Her CO offered her a top position at the supply school at Camp Cornwall, a military base near McCord. I was real proud of my mother. She never let anything stop her.

**Heierlark Base, September 16, 2010**

We landed at Heierlark, unloaded our luggage, and headed back to our rooms. I saw some familiar faces, but it wasn't like I knew any of them personally. Everyone on the base knew me as the quiet asshole who never smiled. I was quiet because I was shy, and I never smiled because nothing ever got done with me walking around grinning like an idiot for no reason. If I had some friends, then I would've lightened up more, but everyone just shunned me because I was better than them.

"Hey, Castillo," I turned to see my crew chief, Master Sergeant Russell, run up to me so that he could tell me something. "I need you to come to the hanger and help me tune your plane for your hop tomorrow."

"Already?" I asked. I've been off leave for less than fifteen minutes and it's already straight to business. I figured they'd at least settle in and get use to everything.

"Yeah already, you're leave time is over which means you've had enough time to relax," he said.

I sighed heavily and acknowledged him. First, I had to head to my quarters to drop off my things and change into my uniform. As I headed back to my room, I ran into Kei Nagase, my crush, in the hallway. She was a very beautiful Japanese girl with short dark brown hair and eyes that I could just get lost in. I didn't know much about her other than her name and birthday. I couldn't read her as well as the other nuggets on the base so it was difficult for me to figure out what kind of person she was. Her eyes seemed like they harbored some kind of sadness and anger, but mostly sadness. She was just as quiet as I was and she was shunned by everyone else as well. The only difference was that she smiled more than me. However, she still had that look of sadness in her eyes whenever I did see her smile. I tried talking with her once but I was interrupted by one of the instructors. Since then, I've only been able to speak with her about small things like when our next hop was, where our instructor was, or the casual hello.

"Hey, Blaze," she said softly with a slight smile.

"Hey, Edge. Nice to see you again," I replied with a smile as I passed her.

I've only flew with Kei twice since we arrived a Heierlark. Both times we managed to out fly our instructors within a matter of seconds. Scuttlebutt, or rumor around the base, was that she and I were the top nuggets on the base. Maybe that's why we didn't fly together as often. I pondered this while I changed into my flight suit and returned to help Russell tune my F-5. Another thing that everyone seemed to comment on was that Kei and I flew like we had over two hundred hours in the air, which is over twice as much as what an average nugget would have by the time he graduates.

My reason for why I thought I flew so well was because I found my love for flying at a very young. I would later play a lot of flight simulator video games and watch movies about pilots flying in wars. There was also the time I actually flew a P-51D Mustang when I was eight. In 1995, I would follow the mercenary pilot, Cipher and his wing man, Solo Wing Pixy, as the dominated the skies during the Belkan war. I remember the stories my dad would tell me about him when my dad was lucky enough to see the Galm team provide CAS, or close air support, for his unit as they helped liberate the capital of Ustio. Cipher sounded like he wouldn't be a match for Mobius 1 though, but no one would be able to ever test that because Cipher disappeared after the war. Mobius 1 became the pilot I idolized when I was in high school. Lt. Colonel Harkin kept telling me that he flew like a young man; he held nothing back. His flying was sloppy but he had somehow managed to outfly yellow squadron. Harkin would let me watch the recordings of Mobius 1's flying and I refined it while I was training at Heierlark. Mobius 1 was a great pilot nonetheless.

**Heierlark Base, September 17, 2010**

I taxied my F-5 onto the runway and waited for takeoff clearance from the control tower. I had to wait for Major Pesi to get into position before I had to go looking for him. He and I were going to perform a combat exercise and I could tell the Major was looking forward to this flight for a long time. No one thought I knew, but I heard that Major Pesi was going to knock my skills down a notch after he was done with me. The exercise's objective for me was to adapt to a situation where I would be caught off guard. Adaptation was pounded into my head while I was in basic and while I was growing up, so I had a lot of experience with it, but I've rarely been able to apply it in real world situations. Improvise, adapt, and overcome was one of the mottos I lived by. I could only hope it would pay off today.

"Blaze, you are clear for takeoff, good hunting," said the control tower.

"Roger that tower," I replied.

I pushed the throttle lever all the way forward and I shot off down the runway. When I felt my F-5 lift off the ground, I raised my flaps and landing gear. I slowly gained altitude and headed for the AO, or area of operations, towards the west of the base. It was a beautiful day today. Patches of stratus clouds were here and there at around six thousand feet. A person could have a clear view of the sky if they looked up from the ground and I had a clear view of the ground from up here. I didn't have time to admire the snow covered valleys because I still had to head to the AO. I was there in a matter of minutes, and waited for Major Pesi to start the exercise.

"Alright Major, I'm here," I said over the radio.

"Roger that, Blaze. We're commencing the exercise now," replied the Major.

I knew Major Pesi wouldn't attack right away. That would make it to easy. If he really wanted to catch me off guard, he should've attack right away. He would have to plan his attack carefully if he wanted to catch me off guard. He was going to wait for me to get into a position that would best help his element of surprise. The thing was I had to figure out where he would attack from. There were only a handful of options the Major could choose from and the most likely possibilities involved him attacking me from above or from the clouds. I circled the area above the cloud deck, which was around seven thousand feet, for several minutes waiting for the Major to make his move. I kept my eyes fixed mostly toward the sun and on my six o'clock, but I tried to keep my head more on a swivel.

"Major, if you don't do something soon then, I'll have to come after you," I said.

"Blaze, I swear if you think I'm gonna fall for that then you got another thing coming."

"Major, I'm serious. You gave me all this time to think about where you might be and I narrowed it down to where you are."

"Well then I guess it's time for me to make my move because here I come."

As soon as he said that, I could see him at my seven o'clock high. He was diving on me with his F-5 out of the sun. _Just as I thought, I can avoid him easily_. I snapped the stick to the left while applying full left rudder and I watched his plane streak past me. He gunned his engines and tried to make a run for it and I followed him into his dive. The Major's plane twisted and turned all over the sky in an attempt to lose me, but I wouldn't be shaken off so easily. Major Pesi's plane was still diving towards the ground and I knew that he'd have no other choice but to pull out of the dive, but doing so would give me a good angle of attack.

His plane pulled out of its dive at five hundred feet and leveled off. I was in perfect position for a missile lock and pounced. My heart was racing as I gave my plane full throttle and closed in on the Major's plane. I couldn't help but think about everyone's reaction at Heierlark when they found out I was able to take down Major Pesi. He was the toughest instructor at Heierlark and the only pilot who I haven't flown against. None of the other pilots from my class couldn't keep up with him and he out flew all of them.

I had a missile lock, but then it couldn't help but remember what I read in an autobiography of a pilot who flew in the Belkan War 15 years ago. I remembered that he wrote that the one plane that's always going to get you is the one you don't see. He was right though, I would get shot down if I wasn't paying attention to everything around me. This was just one of the many rules of dogfighting that every pilot had to memorize.

I looked over my left shoulder and sure enough I saw another F-5 closing in on me. _Who was the Major flying with?_ He was close enough for a missile lock but I wasn't being locked onto. He was going to use his guns to get me if I shot down the Major. I couldn't help but wonder why he didn't just shoot me down. Maybe he wanted to get my hopes up before he let me have it.

We were still going full throttle and I knew what I had to do, I had to deal with this new threat first. I cut the throttle, pulled my air brakes, snapped the stick back and to the right, hit full bottom rudder, and barrel rolled over my pursuer. Suddenly, I was on his tail in perfect position for a kill and I took it. I squeezed the trigger on my stick, causing my guns to roar to life. Flames from the fake bullets obscured my view of my target but I knew I had hit him. His plane was out of action and I only had to deal with the Major now, but I had lost sight of him. He used his wingman as a distraction while he made his escape. The Major was clever. He had a backup plan ready in case he lost the upper hand in this fight and now I had to deal with whatever he had planned next.

I was scanning the sky vigorously trying to find him, but I still couldn't see him. I had to think; how would I use a distraction like that? It only took me less than a minute to get rid of his wingman and we were below the cloud deck. I would've used tried to lose my attacker by climbing into the clouds or the sun. I climbed to gain altitude and get a better view of the area. I couldn't see anything below the cloud deck so I had to assume the Major was above me or at the same altitude.

"Come on Major, where are you hiding?" I said trying to antagonize him.

"You already got me, Blaze," he said in an extremely annoyed voice

_Wait, I already bagged Major Pesi?_ If that was the case, then I was looking for his wingman now._ Who was he? Did a new instructor rotate into Heierlark when I was on leave_? I stopped thinking about it because it didn't matter anymore. All I have to do is adapt to the situation and shoot down the Major's wingman. I had to get him or else I would fail the exercise. _There's no way in hell I'm going to let someone best me._

I continued circling at eight thousand feet, trying to locate my target. My eyes were quickly and carefully scanning my surroundings. I could see everything from where I was and I knew it was only a matter of time before I found my target. Suddenly, I caught sight of a glint of light towards my eleven o'clock.

"I see you, you son of a gun," I said to myself as I opened the throttle

I saw his plane circle towards me and come at me head on. We were closing the gap between us which didn't give me enough time to get missile lock or for me to get my guns to bear on him. I had to break off, but if I did then I would be an easy chase for him. I had to keep going. I could only imagine that the other guy was thinking the same thing because I didn't see any hesitation in the way he flew towards me. If this pilot was thinking like me then we were both going to be sent home in body bags. I could only hope that he would chicken out and peel away. We continued to speed towards each other. That's when I saw it. He rolled to the right just enough to avoid hitting me. I rolled my plane over as we passed each other and did a split-S to gain speed which I would use to attack him from below. As I pulled my plane out of the dive, I saw him circle back and dive towards me. He wasn't going to let me get an angle on him that easily. We passed each other again and we both banked towards each other, but we reversed direction to come at each other again. We were performing the scissor maneuver, trying to gain the advantage over each other. We were bleeding off air speed too fast and one of use was about to stall. Whoever sped up or stalled first would be vulnerable to attack. The only way out of this maneuver was to keep going and pray that my opponent stalled first. We kept it up until I felt my plane shudder. He was going to get me. I would fail my adaptation exercise to this guy and my place at the top of my class would now belong to this guy. I looked over at his plane to see him gaining speed, which was huge mistake on his part. He was going to make a run for it which put me right on his tail.

"I got you now," I said to myself as I gave chase. He tried twisting and turning to try and shake me off but I had already sank my teeth into him and I wasn't about to let go. Something was off about this pilot but he seemed to know what he was doing. This guy was experience and he pulled a bunch of maneuvers that seemed oddly familiar. The barrel rolls, the snap rolls, the inverted spirals, the displacement rolls, and they high and low yo-yos all felt too familiar, like I've done all of them before. Yeah, I played a lot of flight simulator video games, but feeling the plane move with me made me feel damn sure that I had done this before. _This guy must've paid attention to how Mobius 1 flew._ I was sure of it.

I followed my opponent into an Immelmann turn and almost acquired a missile lock on him, but he then put his plane into a descending spiral, which was a maneuver that a pilot would use if he was out of options. He was turning too hard for a missile to track him and I couldn't pull enough lead to get my guns on him. But he didn't know that. I wasn't in a good position to use my guns, but I fired them any ways. I was hoping it would scare him into messing up again. My guns roared to life as the flames of the fake rounds obscured my view. I guess he saw that I was shooting because he broke off into a climb.

I wasted no time in chasing after him and acquiring a missile lock on his plane. There was no way he could get out of this one. I pressed the missile launch button and the simulation ended. The average dogfight lasts about four to five minutes, but this dogfight lasted ten minute. I wanted to know who this guy was; he was the best challenge I've had since I started flight training. I pulled up next to the pilot I flew against to see who it was. The pilot's tinted visor was down and I couldn't see his face. I tried hailing him over the radio, but I didn't get any kind of response. I must've pissed him off if he wasn't going to talk to me. We both flew back to base together and I landed first. I didn't notice how much I was sweating until I touched down on the runway. My undershirt was drenched in perspirations and it almost penetrated the outer layer of my flight suit. I parked my plane outside the hanger and waited for Major Pesi's wingman. He landed a couple minutes after I did and parked his plane next to mine. He shut off the engines, popped the canopy, and he took off his helmet. Only it wasn't a he, it was a she. It was Kei Nagase.

Kei seemed just as surprised to see me as I was to see her. I couldn't believe that the best pilot I've flown against so far was her; everyone must've hated her as much as they hated me. I had to know what she thought about my flying and where she learned to maneuver like that, but before I could even approach her, Major Pesi came storming over towards her.

"Blaze, get the hell out of here before I kick your ass to the other side of the runway," shouted Major Pesi.

"Yes, Sir," I said. As I headed towards the locker room, I could hear the Major shouting at Kei. I turned around to look back and saw Kei just standing there with her head down while Pesi was shouting at her. I could've sworn I saw her body shaking like she was sobbing. I don't know why the Major was shouting at her but I don't think it was a good enough reason. Her flying was superb but she wasn't aggressive enough to evade me. I felt as though we could've learned from each other, but with graduation just three weeks away, there wasn't any point in it.

**Later that day**

I was in the mess hall eating my horrible excuse of a dinner, alone, as usual. All the other nuggets just glared at me because they heard about how I out flew two of the best pilots on the base. Flying seem almost second nature to me. If I was able to fly a plane other than my F-5, I could've really impressed some people or make them hate me more than they already did. I seriously thought BFM, or Basic Fighter Maneuvering was really easy and I couldn't see how everyone else on the base wasn't able to learn as quickly as I did. Flying in real life is way different than flying in a video game. Video games can't incorporate all the physics that occur when flying but I adapted rather easily.

I felt very uncomfortable as everyone just looked at me with their hateful eyes so I finished eating and left the mess hall. I was headed back to my room when I passed Kei's room. The door was half way opened and I could hear the faint sound of crying coming from inside. I realized that I hadn't seen her since the Major chewed her out when we got back from our hop. I wanted to talk to her to see if she was alright, but I wasn't sure if I should invade her privacy. I decided to see if she was okay. We were all nuggets trying to reach the same goal. Whether everyone liked me or not, I would've looked out for every one of them.

I took a deep breath and knocked on the door. "Kei," I asked as I entered her room. She wasn't on her bed or sitting at her desk. I looked to my right and saw her sitting against the wall, on the floor with her arms resting on her knees and her head down.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked softly.

"Nothing, just please, go away," she said softly.

Normally, I would've left but I felt like I had to do something. I couldn't stand to see her upset like this; I had to think of something, but what? I looked around her room for something to start up a conversation with but I couldn't see anything. My eyes eventually fell upon the desk in front of her bed and saw a book titled "A Blue Dove for the Princess". I walked over to the desk and held the book in my hands. I noticed the book seemed thicker than other copies I've held and I could see some pages with irregular edges sticking out of the book. I was curious to see what was inside but I knew Kei wouldn't appreciate it if I did.

"Put that down," growled Kei as she glared at me. Her reaction to me holding her book made me realize that it had sentimental value to her. My mother had read the book to my little sister all the time and I could remember what it was about. _I might be able to finally talk to her._

"I remember this book from when I was younger. The dove was hurt and the princess nursed it back to health," I said with a slight smile. "Then when the princess became sick, the dove would help her recover." The glare seemed fade from her face as I told her about the story. I walked over to her still holding the book and sat down next to her. I held the book up and examined it, but I didn't open it. "I remember my mom telling me that the moral of the story is that there is always someone you could depend on, no matter how big or small they are. I doesn't matter if you know them or not," I continued. "But there are times when you have to find that strength in yourself to keep going."

Kei took the book from my hands, wiped the tears from her eyes, and opened it. Some of the pages were missing and I could see pieces of notebook paper with her handwriting on them. I saw her smile just a little bit and I knew that I was able to get through to her, but I had to keep it going.

"I must've read this book over a million times. Some of the pages are missing because it's that worn. My dad read it to me all the time when I was younger," Kei said. "This is the only thing that I have left of him."

I didn't know that one of Kei's parents died and I felt like I also I needed to distract her from the thought of her dad or else she might end up like she was before I started talking to her. I could only think about her book and make some kind of reference to it.

"Sounds like he was your blue dove," I said and Kei nodded.

"He was, but now that he's gone, I have to carry on by myself."

I thought Kei was just as shy as I was, but it turns out, she was just lonely. I thought deeper into it and I deduced that her relationship with her mother wasn't as great as her relationship with her father. The way Kei talked about herself just seemed like she had no one she could depend on. If Kei couldn't rely on her family for support, she truly was alone in the world. I knew exactly how she was feeling and I couldn't bear the thought of it. If I had to step in and be a friend whom she could rely on, then I was going to do it. I might end up in the friend-zone, but at least she'd have a friend.

"No, you don't. Being alone is a choice and I can see it in your eyes that you want your dove back," I said compassionately as I stood up and held out my hand to her. "Your blue dove is out there somewhere and you're someone's princess. You just have to give it time, he'll come for you, but in the meantime, I'm here if you need me."

She smiled a little, took my hand, and got up off the floor. We both stood there in silence, looking back at each other. I could feel myself blushing as Kei gave me a gentle smile. I also saw the sadness in her eyes vanish. I didn't know if it was because I did a good job distracting her or if it was something else, but all I could do was lower my head and try to look away. Just then, we were called to the base commander's office. As we walked down the halls together, both of us were wondering what he was going to talk to us about. I always got nervous around top brass because I could never predict what they wanted from me. My hands were shaking as I reached for the base commander's office door. Kei put her hand on mine to try and calm me down, which it did. We entered the room and stood at attention until he put us at ease, then he began to speak.

"As you no doubt have guessed by now, everyone's morale on this base has reached an all-time low. The other nuggets want to wash out because they feel like they can't keep up with everyone else and when I mean everyone else; I mean the instructors and you two. Now I can't have that happening because the OADF needs more pilots, but we can't make the other nuggets stay. So now I'm left with no other option," said the base commander.

I couldn't help but think that he was going to discharge us, even though he couldn't legally do that because we hadn't done anything wrong for him to even consider it. Either way, I was nervous as all hell about what he was planning to do with us.

"I'm transferring you two to the 108th tactical fighter group at Sand Island AFB. I'm sure the head instructor can give you two a better challenge than Major Pesi could've given you. Both of you leave tomorrow afternoon, understood?"

"But sir, I thought the 108th was a combat ready squadron. Why are we being transferred there?" I asked.

"Because you two have already shown us that you have what it takes to become combat ready pilots. Also like I've said, the OADF needs pilots and we're bringing in cadets by the dozens. As a result, they've been sent to bases all over the country trying to find instructors who can teach them the fundamentals of flying."

I guess I picked the right time to join the military and shoot for a career as a combat pilot if the OADF needed us this badly. I was also kind of curious as to why the country's defense force needed pilots. The whole world was at peace, and there were no signs of imminent war anywhere. _It's always calm before the storm I guess._ The last thing I wanted was another war raging on this planet.

"Now, you'll still be in a training unit and you'll have your graduation by the end of next month. Another thing, do me a favor and try not to show off in front of your new instructor when you get to Sand Island, alright?" said the base commander.

"Yes, sir" I said and the commander dismissed us. I was pissed because I had just gotten back to Heierlark, yet I was glad because I could finally get away from all the hard ass instructors here. I spent the rest of the day repacking my duffle bag and all of my other personal belongings. I was actually surprised I was able to get my laptop, my MP3 player, my casual clothes, and flight suits, all in one bag.

After I was done packing, I decided to go back and check on Kei. I stood outside her door and looked inside her room. Her bags were already packed and she was lying in her bed, listening to her music. I wanted to talk to her more but I couldn't really think of anything else to say. It would've been nice to actually have someone to talk with while I was stationed here, but it was already too late. I wondered if Kei felt the same way, but I guess I would never find out. I was turning to leave her alone when I noticed Master Sergeant Russell standing behind me, which startled me a bit.

"You know she likes you, right?" he said.

"You're crazy. Besides how would you know," I asked.

"Because I've only seen her smile when you're around," he said and he walked off.


	2. Arrival at Sand Island

**Chapter 1 – Arrival at Sand Island**

Kei and I sat together the whole time as we rode in the transport plane for Sand Island. She was actually opening up to me. I kept thinking about what Russell had said to me the day before and I still found it hard to believe. It could've just been puppy love because she still didn't know that much about me. She was an interesting woman. She got her degree in aeronautical engineering like her mother. She also told me that she always had an interest in flying but didn't give it much thought until she saw Mobius 1 fend off Erusean fighters trying to shoot down the 747 she was flying in while her sister was at the controls. It was then that I realized why Kei's flying seemed so familiar. I flew like Mobius 1 and she flew the same way.

Kei asked about me to share a little about myself and I told her, but nothing about myself that I didn't want her to know. I got the feeling that she knew there were things that I didn't want to talk about. I told her simple things about myself like I grew up in McCord and attended Oured University where I majored in aerospace engineering and minored in archeology. She was surprised to find out that I was a Marine. She told me that she thought Marines restricted themselves to ground operations like soldiers, tank crew, or helicopter pilots. I had to explain to her that Marines were the most versatile branch of the Osean defense force. Kei then asked me where I got my interest in flying and I told her my dad wanted to be a pilot when he was growing up and that he and I would go to the air shows every summer until he died when I was eight. We talked for most of the way to Sand Island until she fell asleep on me. I didn't know if it was intentional but she rested her head on my shoulder. Kei's hands were placed on her lap and I flashed back to when I was in marching band when I was in high school. This plane ride reminded me of the bus rides back to the school when me and my ex-girlfriend were dating. I almost grabbed Kei's hand out of habit but I stopped myself. I liked Kei, but she still didn't know anything about me. I had a lot of skeletons in my closet that I couldn't tell her about, even if I wanted to.

**September 19, 2010 0128hrs**

We arrived at Sand Island late at night. It was already early morning of the 19th of September. Kei and I were tired as hell and all I wanted to do was go to bed. When we got off the C-17, we were greeted by chief mechanic of the base, 2nd Lieutenant Peter N. Beagle or 'Pops' as he liked to be called. He seemed like a friendly guy. He was mostly bald and had a goatee.

"You two must've had a long day. I won't waste any time telling you stuff you don't want to hear so just follow me and I'll show you to your quarters," said Pops

Already I liked the guy. He didn't waste any time showing us where Kei and I would be staying. There was only one room available which meant we would be bunking together. As big as Sand Island was, I thought there would be more space for all personnel. We got to our room and the kid in me called the top bunk, which Kei didn't have a problem with because she was already passed out on the bottom bunk. I was too tired to change out of my flight suit and went to sleep as soon as I climbed into bed.

**A few hours later**

I was the first one awake and I had already forgotten where I was because I fell off my bunk and hit the ground with a loud thud when I tried getting out of bed, which startled Kei who hit her head on the top bunk. Not even a full day has passed and we were already hurting ourselves.

"You ok," I asked as I was picking myself up off the floor.

"I'm fine. What time is it?"

"Five thirty, I'm surprised I woke up at my usual time," I said.

"What do you this early in the morning?" Kei asked

"I do my morning workout. I go for a twenty minute run and then ten minutes of weight training. Afterwards I use the next hour to eat breakfast and shit, shower, and shave before I have to be on deck," I told her. "I might have to skip my work out because I still have no idea where everything is on this base." We then heard a knock on the door, it was Pops.

"Oh, I'm glad to see you're up. Anyways, today the base commander wants to meet the both of you. I'll give you half an hour to get ready and I'll meet you back here to take you to see him."

"Alright Pops, but can you show us where the showers are," asked Kei.

"Down this hallway and to the left, they'll be the second door way on the right, and don't worry; the guys' and girls' showers are separated."

I gathered my set of clean clothes and headed for the showers. I was honestly expecting the shower rooms to be like the ones I had to use back in OCS, or Officers Candidate School, but I was glad to see these ones had shower curtains. After a quick shower and a quick shave, I was good to go. It only took me a total of ten minutes to get ready. I spent the rest of the time lying in bed wondering what the base commander would say to Kei and I. Maybe he would be just as laid back as the one at Heierlark. Knowing my luck though, this base commander would be a bigger hard ass than Major Pesi.

Kei had finally gotten back to our room just as Pops came to get us and we followed him to the base commander's office. Along the way, Pops pointed out some places where we'd probably spend most of our free time like the mess hall, the crew room, briefing room and more. I was planning on headed straight for the mess hall after we got done talking with the base commander. I wasn't sure about Kei, but I was hungry.

"Well you two, this is it. Go through this door and his office door is on the left as soon as you go in. I'll be in the hangers with the other grease monkeys if you have any other questions I can answer for you," said Pops with a smile and he left us.

"Well, here we go," I sighed and Kei gave me a nervous smile.

I knocked on the office door and I heard a voice that told us to come in. There was no name plate on the door and the voice sounded familiar. Kei and I enter the room, stood at attention and introduced ourselves until he put us at ease. I couldn't believe who the base commander was, Colonel Orson Perrault. I found it hard to believe that this bastard was still in the military because by the looks of him, he wouldn't be able to pass the PFT, or physical fitness test. He was way bigger than the last time I saw him and I started to wonder if he would remember me.

"2nd Lieutenant Antonio Castillo and 2nd Lieutenant Kei Nagase, I heard some pretty interesting thing from the base commander at Heierlark. He tells me you two were the best pilots on the base," said Colonel Perrault as he stood up from behind his desk and stood in front of us. "Fortunately for you two, I honestly don't give a shit how good you are. I only care about keeping my base organized and free of trouble. If either of you step a foot out of line, you'll find yourselves out of this military. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir," Kei and I said in unison.

"Good, now report to Captain Bartlett. You're his problem now. Dismissed, oh and Castillo," he added as I was about to walk out the door. "Tell your mom and Lieutenant Colonel Harkin I said 'hi'," said Perrault with an evil grin.

"Will do, sir," I replied as I closed the door behind me. I knew he was being sarcastic by the way he gave me that grin of his and I knew he'd find some way to make my life on this base as miserable as he could.

"You know that guy," asked Kei.

"Yeah, he threw a lot of people under the bus to get where he is today. My mom and her friend included. They couldn't defend themselves when he accused them of leaving their post to go fraternizing about twelve years ago. Mom told me that Perrault told them he needed her and Lt. Colonel Harkin to take care of something on the other side of the base they were stationed on and reported them saying he didn't tell them to do anything. They were cleared of the fraternizing charges but they got reprimanded for leaving their post." I said as we walked down the hallways.

We headed into the mess hall and got our breakfast. The food seemed decent but it was terrible. _This is going to be a long posting here._ I was telling Kei about some of the other stories I heard about Perrault while we were eating until we were interrupted by this loud mouth that annoyed me just by looking at him. This guy reminded me of Elvis a little because of how much he let his sideburn grow and little bit of hair that hung in front of his head.

"Hey, you must be the new guys, sorry, new guy and new girl, right," he asked. He didn't even give me enough time to answer him before he started talking again. "Yeah, I was wondering who Pops was talking to this morning. No doubt Perrault wanted to talk to you guys too. Man, I hate that guy. Did you know he has it out for the lead flight instructor, something about him eating the Colonel's last slice of birthday cake? Talk about a lack of manners. Speaking of which, where are mine, 2nd Lieutenant Davenport and you are?"

"2nd Lieutenant Antonio Castillo and this is 2nd Lieutenant Kei Nagase. We just transferred over from Heierlark. Is Davenport your only name," I asked.

"Nah, I just don't like my first name so I don't tell it to anyone. Everyone just knows me a Chopper"

I was about to ask him how he got his nick name but then I decided against it because of how much he talked already.

"Well Chopper, it was nice to meet you but we have to hurry and finish up eating before we have to meet up with our flight instructor," said Kei.

"Oh yeah, you guys got assigned to Bartlett. I feel bad for you," he said and left.

"Hey Chopper," I called out and he froze in his tracks. "I'll take my orange juice and toast back, if you don't mind. You're not as sly as you think."

He gave me back my juice carton and my toast, but not before licking it and setting it back on my tray. He tried to keep us distracted with his yammering while he tried to steal part of my breakfast. This guy was going to get on my nerves but two can play that game. Kei and I finished our meal and headed to the briefing room where we were told to wait for Captain Bartlett. Kei and I sat patiently until he walked in. He was a man in his early forties with black hair and eyes that suggested that he was always in a bad mood. His five o' shadow suggested that he really didn't care about what others thought about him. Just by looking at him I got the feeling he was another hard ass, waiting for me screw up so he could chew me out. As soon as Kei and I saw him, we were standing at attention, saluting. He didn't even look at us and sat down while we were still at attention. Then he just blankly stared at us for a good half minute, before he finally said anything to us.

"Who the hell are you two?" said Bartlett.

"2nd lieutenant Antonio Castillo," I said.

"And you must be Kei Nagase. Major Pesi told me a lot about you, none of it was anything good. You, Castillo, isn't true that your friend here can't fly worth a damn?"

"I believe that she can, sir. She proved more of a challenge for me than any of the other instructors," I said. I could almost see Kei blushing out of the corner of my eye. The whole time, Bartlett kept trying to get a rise out of us by telling us that our piloting skills were nothing compared to some of the pilots he fought against in the war fifteen years ago and how he hasn't been impressed by any one since then. Bartlett just kept us saluting until he dismissed us.

Later on I went to go talk to Pops. He was looking over my assigned F-5 and I asked him if he knew Captain Bartlett. He told me that they flew together in the war fifteen years ago and that they were shot down behind enemy lines, but managed to evade enemy capture. Parts of his story had me confused. How could Pops stay a 2nd lieutenant after all these years? Maybe he messed up during his military career and couldn't get promoted because of it. I didn't ask him because I felt like I'd be putting him on the spot. He did tell me that Bartlett was a hard ass and it took some time getting used to. Pops also mentioned to me that Captain Bartlett hated being saluted and that he would leave anyone one who did standing there until he finished talking or until someone else relieved them.

There was nothing else to do on Sand Island that day except get settled in. I played with Pop's dog, Kirk, for a little bit then I went to the gym. Later on I caught up with Kei in our room and she told me that we had a sortie with Captain Bartlett the next day.

"Maybe we can impress him with our flying," said Kei.

"Maybe, but then again we don't know how good he is either," I replied as I climbed onto my bunk. "Still, I would like to see what these other pilots are made of."

"Yeah, me too," said Kei.

I was actually looking forward to it and went to bed early. I kept going over all of my past sorties in my head, thinking about all the mistakes I've made and how I could improve on them. I would be flying with a small squad I had to keep my compulsion for telling people what to do under control. I couldn't imagine how everything was going to pan out. I just had to wait and see what we were going to do tomorrow.

**September 20, 2010, 1000hrs**

"Alright nuggets, start making your way onto the runway. Once you get in the air, hold formation and wait for the others to takeoff," said Bartlett over the radio.

We were doing formation tactics training today against one of the other instructors groups. I was paired with Captain Bartlett, Kei, and a guy who called himself Aero. I was actually kind of nervous because I didn't know how well the nuggets on this base flew, let alone the instructors. When I was airborne, I quickly joined formation and took the trail position directly behind Captain Bartlett's F-4G Phantom II. I thought it was odd that he didn't fly with a RIO/WSO, Radar Intercept Officer/Weapon System Operator. I guess it was because he didn't get along with anyone and a RIO would just annoy the hell out of him. The other instructor flew an F-5 along with the rest of us. None of us were armed because the world was at peace and the brass didn't see the point in equipping our planes with live ammo. Only the dummy rounds the ground crews loaded into our guns.

When we got to our AO, we all assigned ourselves our call signs. Heart Break 1 was the Captain's, Kei's was Edge, Aero's was Aero, and I stuck with the name Major Pesi gave me, Blaze. If I had any say in it, I would've had my call sign as Zorro. It was the nickname my scout master had given me for somewhat obvious reasons and I grew to like it. The Captain then positioned us into various formations telling us each formations advantages and disadvantages. This was a review to me because I already knew this from all the reading I did from when I was younger, but I went along with what was being taught. It was a nice day. There were scattered clouds and the sun was shining brightly. Sand Island was located in the tropics, which made the climate a lot more humid. As lovely as the day looked, it wasn't my favorite part of the day to fly.

"Heart Break 1, this is Svenson, you guys read to begin?"

"This is Heart Break 1, yeah we're ready. Come and get us. Alright nuggets we're meeting them head on. Blaze, you're on my wing, and Edge stay glued to Aero's ass over there, you hear me?"

We all acknowledge and got into formation. My head was on a swivel looking for the enemy formation, even though the Captain said they were coming head on, which I doubted. Sure enough they came from nine o'clock and I called them out. We changed our heading and spoiled their surprise attack. The Captain ordered Aero to break off and engage an enemy element, or a two plane formation, that broke off, while I followed the Captain as we engaged the other. The element I was chasing broke off and Captain Bartlett ordered me to go after him and I did. He went into a wide right turn and latched onto the Captain's tail. I stayed behind him in his blind spot so he couldn't see me and waited for the right time to attack. The plane Captain Bartlett was chasing leveled off and flew straight, which gave the enemy I was chasing the perfect time attack. I was faster to the trigger because he was already out before he could line up his shot.

"Dammit Blaze, hurry up and get him off me, I'm still locked," shouted the Captain.

_How could he still be locked? I already got his pursuer, what does he mean?_ Just then, I saw the other enemy element streak in with Aero's element close behind them and they took out the Captain's F-4. I could hear him swearing at me, but I still had to worry about the plane the Captain didn't shoot down so, I gave chase.

"The Captain is down. Does anyone want to try and takeover command," I asked over the radio.

"You let the Captain get shot down?" said Aero

"I didn't let him get shot down, right now we have to maintain chain of command if we want to complete this exercise," I said.

"Alright new guy, since you seem so sure of yourself, you take command. What are your orders?" said Aero.

"Right now we have the advantage, keep up the chase and try to take them down as quick as you can. Edge if you see that element split up, go after him, alright?" I ordered.

"Roger that."

The guy I was chasing was good. He kept me guessing with every move he made and I couldn't get my sights on him long enough to shoot him down. He was gaining speed and I hung behind him so I wouldn't over shoot him if he tried doing something like I did when I was flying against Major Pesi. As he got further away I was in perfect position for a missile lock and I took it. He was out of the exercise.

"Blaze, this is Aero, I lost my target."

"Where's Edge?"

"She's chasing her target towards your two o'clock"

"Alright, get over there and provide some cover for her. I'll try and get a better view of the situation," I said.

I gained some altitude to provide top cover for Kei and Aero. Kei was having just as much trouble keeping her sights on her target as I did. Aero hung back some so he didn't crash into her. That's when I saw the plane that Aero was chasing dive on him and I called for Aero to break hard left. He wasn't fast enough and was tagged out. It was up to me and Kei now and she was in trouble. I dove after the trailing enemy at a steady speed so I didn't over shoot. He broke off and dove for the deck when he spotted me and I followed. He went vertical giving his plane every bit of speed he could squeeze out of the engines. He was going into a cloud and I didn't think much of it and I followed him through. As I flew out of it, I realized he wasn't in front of me anymore.

My eyes were going everywhere but I couldn't see my target anymore. I started circling above the clouds still looking for my opponent, when I saw him in my rear view mirror. I dove for the clouds trying to shake my attacker anyway I could, but he was on me like white on rice. I tried faking a spilt S right above the cloud deck but he didn't fall for it. _This guy could be the one to get me, but I was gonna make him work for it_.

I dove below the cloud deck and pulled out of the dive at three hundred feet. I was running out of room to run. If I went into a climb, I would be an easy target for him and that's the last thing I wanted. The last thing I could do was try to get him into the scissors maneuver and hope for the same outcome that I got when I was flying against Kei. I pulled a hard left back and pulled back on the throttle a little, then I quickly reversed the bank and pulled back on the throttle more. I repeated this process several times and it was working. He was close to stalling, but so was I. If I was going to get him, he would have to be closer to stalling than me.

I was pulling into another left turn, trying to get into position but as I pulled my throttle back, my plane went into a stall. I was a sitting duck and I couldn't do anything but watch as my opponent pulled away to gain speed and turn back towards me as I tried to recover from the stall. All I could think about was how I let everyone in my squad. I didn't blame myself for Captain Bartlett getting taken out because there was nothing I could do. I should've seen Aero's attacker and warned him sooner. I couldn't help but think about Kei the most. She would be all alone with the odds stacked against her. I was ready for my simulation controls to declare me out, but before they could go off, I heard a voice on the radio.

"Attention, all trainees and instructors, attention. This exercise is now over; the enemy team has been eliminated."

_Did Kei get taken out too?_

"We did it Blaze! We got them," said Kei over the Radio

I was in a state of confusion as I looked around and saw Kei form up on my left wing. I could tell that she was smiling when she lifted up the tinted visor on her flight helmet. Kei had shot her target down just as I lost my target and she saw that I was in trouble. She had been circling overhead when I dove out of the clouds and she had been waiting for the perfect time to attack. When we landed back at base, Captain Bartlett pulled me aside to yell at me for getting him shot down on purpose. Kei and Aero watched from a distance as the Captain let me have it.

"I don't know what the hell you were thinking out there, but if you pull something like that again, I'll have your ass flying prop planes," shouted the Captain.

"What do you mean, sir?" I asked trying to play off my innocence.

"You know damn well what I mean. I told you to clear my six and because of you, you jeopardized the rest of the team just so you could show off your skills."

"I wasn't trying to show off for anyone," I growled. I could've just stood there and let him scold me for screwing up, but I've had it done to me so many times before that I figured it was better for me to admit that I was wrong and convince my superior that I would try harder next time. "I didn't see the second guy who came after you. Yeah, I screwed up, but I did what needed to be done and I still managed to come out on top with another member of the squad. Sure, I could've done better, but this is just training. It'll take time but eventually, I'll learn."

Captain Bartlett's face produced a scowl that could make almost anyone piss their pants, but I stood my ground as he walked up to me and attempted to stare me down. "Then you'd better impress me next time," growled the Captain and he walked off.

When Captain Bartlett was gone, Aero came up to me and he seemed like he was a little perturbed. "Did you throw me under the bus to save your own ass?" he asked.

"Would you believe me if I said 'no'?" I asked

"I don't even know you," said Aero.

"Then what's the point of asking me?" I replied and I walked off.

We all headed towards the locker rooms and got out of our flight gear. Kei and I visited Pops afterwards and told him the whole story. He said he was impressed with the way I was able to keep everything organized and take down Svenson's team. Of course, Kei and I did all the work but he was still impressed with the way I handled it.

"You just might be a natural leader, Blaze," said Pops.

"I don't know about that," I replied.

"Why not, you managed to keep one of your wingmen with you the whole time."

"Yeah, I guess so," I replied and I looked at Kei who returned a gentle smile.

Later, when I was lying in bed, I kept thinking to myself about today. I honestly thought that Kei wouldn't have been able to bag her target before I was shot down. I was stupid to think that. She was more than capable of handling her own in a dogfight. I kind of figured that I owed Kei for helping me so I promised myself that I was going to look out for her in the sky. _Maybe Kei and I could become Cipher and Pixy._ I smiled to myself the more I thought about it and I stared to wonder what Kei was thinking about.

"Antonio?" Kei said softly as she lay in her bunk.

"Yes?"

"We were pretty good today, don't you think so?"

"Yeah, we really showed them," I said and I drifted off to sleep.


	3. Shorebirds

**Chapter 2 – Shorebirds**

**September 22, 2010 1203hrs**

It's been two days after my first training exercise on Sand Island and everyone on the base just seemed to hate me already, except for Pops, Kei, Chopper, and this enlisted guy named Hans Grimm. The five of us started hanging out together between classes and during our free time in the main aircraft hangers. Chopper usually did most of the talking but at least it was entertaining. Chopper got his degree in psychology and I had to admit, he was pretty sly. I found this out when he tricked his instructor, Baker, into cleaning up Choppers lunch tray that he dropped in the mess hall. How he did it, I'll never know.

Grimm was a replacement pilot trainee who was only an Airman 1st Class. I thought only officers could become pilots but maybe that's the way the Osean Air Force worked. His older brother was in the Army and Hans said he became a pilot because he looked up to him. I couldn't describe Hans's physique in a nice way. He was a scrawny and meek looking red headed dude that seemed like he would turn tail and piss himself at the first sign of trouble. That was my initial impression of him. He was a pretty cool guy though. The only thing that bothered me about him was that he kept calling me 'sir' when I told him not to.

Today we had to meet with all of the instructors in the crew room to go over something important. I sat in the back of the room and almost everyone sat away from me except for Kei and Chopper. Mustang, Jive, and Barney, the other three pilots that my squad faced two days ago, were sitting up front, glaring back at me and Kei. _I really don't want to go through this shit again._ I could hear them sneer us as they quietly talked among themselves and I couldn't take it anymore. I made a comment about how Mustang looked like a Jackass because of those big ass front teeth he had. I also commented on how I could smell Jive from where I was sitting and how Barney reminded me of the lion from Wizard of Oz (a pansy).

"You trying to start something, Blaze?" asked Jive.

"Oh, this isn't comedy hour?"

Jive stood up from his seat and turned towards me. "You know you've got a lot of balls to try and talk shit when you can't back it up. We all know that if it wasn't for her, Svenson would've bagged you," he said referring to Kei.

"That just goes to show that I have a wingman I can depend on," I said.

I could tell I hit a nerve by the scowl on Jive and his friends' faces. Jive started to walk towards me and I stood up to meet him. When he got tithing arms reach, he violently grabbed the collar of my flight suit and tried to pull me closer to him. I retaliated by yanking his hand off of my collar and twisted it. Jive grunted in pain as I glared at him. He was grunting in pain and Mustang and Barney rushed over. When they got close enough I twisted Jive's hand even harder. They knew right away that I'd hurt Jive even more if they got any closer.

"Hey, break it up!" exclaimed Svenson as he entered the room and glared at me. I let go of Jive's wrist and took my seat while him and his two friends returned to the front of the room. "It was one flight exercise and those two got lucky. There'll plenty of other opportunities to try and get back at them."

"Luck had nothing to do with it," mutter Kei under her breath.

"What was that 2nd Lieutenant Nagase," asked Svenson

"I said luck might have had a lot to do with it, sir."

"Yeah, next time you won't be so lucky. Anyways straight to business, due to the inclement weather, we haven't been able to go on any training sorties today. Also, we have a journalist that just arrived here and he's going to be shadowing us for the next few weeks. With that being said, we've selected a bunch of you to go on a training flight tomorrow so he can get an idea of how we operate out here. I've already posted the names on the bulletin board in the briefing room. From there, Captain Bartlett will brief you oh how things are going to work, any questions?"

No one said anything and Svenson dismissed us. We all got out of or seats and left the room. Some of the other nuggets in our class ran to the briefing room to check the roster. I didn't know what they were excited about because it's not like the reporter would do his article on any of the students. I took a look at the flight roster and saw that I wasn't on the list, but Kei was. I thought maybe the instructors would try to do another training sortie like we did two days ago, except this time they were trying to split up me and Kei.

At dinner, Kei told me how nervous she was about flying without me. I didn't understand why, I thought she was a terrific pilot from what I've seen. I did have some concerns about how almost two thirds of the class was going on the sortie. _Did they really need that many students and instructors to try and show off for a reporter?_

"You two are worrying to much; it's just another sortie to show off how awesome we are. I bet the only reason they didn't want us to come along was because that reporter doesn't want to reveal my good looks to the world just yet," said Chopper.

"Of all the places where you could write a story, why choose Sand Island? I mean it's not like there's anything unique on this base other than the view," I said.

"Yeah, he's probably using this as an excuse so that he can have a tropical island vacation with the opportunity to go flying," said Grimm

"Actually, I heard there was a very unique flying instructor stationed here," said a voice from behind. We all turned our attention to the guy who spoke and saw a light brown haired guy with blue eyes and a little bit of hair on his chin. "Sorry, my name is Albert Genette, I'm the journalist you must be talking about," he added.

"Is that the only reason? Hell, if you wanted to interview some good pilots, you should've gone to Belka. They have pilots that are twelve times better than anyone we got stationed here," said Chopper.

"Yes, I'm aware of that, but I heard Captain Bartlett served in the Belkan war and I wanted to hear his story," said Genette

We spent the rest of our meal listening to Chopper argue with Genette about why coming to Sand Island was such a stupid idea. I had to agree with Chopper but I didn't say anything. Belka had legendary fighter pilots, and their skills were unmatched only by Cipher, the mercenary pilot I looked up to. I noticed Kei was being quieter than usual and she was picking at her food which she had barely touched. Originally I thought it was because the chow here was some of the worst I had ever tasted but from what I could read from Kei's body language, she was really nervous about something.

"You okay," I asked.

"Yeah, I'm just a little nervous about flying without you tomorrow," she said with her head looking down.

I couldn't help but over think what she just said._ Kei was nervous about flying without me?_ I was thinking that maybe Master Sergeant Russell was right about her liking me, or maybe she was still adjusting to life on Sand Island and she found comfort knowing that I was right here with her. Either way, I could tell I was starting to become important to her. I had to admit that I was starting to feel the same way about her. Yeah, Kei was very beautiful, but there was something slightly intimidating about her for some reason, though I'm not sure what it was.

"Hey," I said softly as I sunk my head low to the table, trying to look her in the eyes. "You'll be fine, you're a great pilot and everyone knows it. And besides, I doubt the instructors are going to put you all through any kind of strenuous maneuvering or anything."

"Thanks," said Kei and she smiled a little.

**September 23, 2010 0940hrs Sand Island **

I was in the Hangers with Pops and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The ground crews were loading live ammo and weapons on all the planes. _Was this just to show off for Genette?_ I thought it was S.O.P., or standard operation procedure, for all pilots in training to fly unarmed. I haven't flown with armed weapons at all. The orders came from Captain Hamilton, the adjutant base commander. He was in the hangers as well.

"Captain Hamilton," I said saluting. "2nd lieutenant Antonio Castillo,"

"Ah, lieutenant, I was wondering when I was going to meet you. I heard about how you handled your squad on your second day here, I was very impressed by that," said Hamilton.

"Thank you, sir," I replied. "Mind if I ask you something?"

"Not at all, I keep an open door policy. If you have any questions or concerns just let me know. Now what's on your mind?"

"Why is the training flight being armed? I haven't carried a single live bullet in my plane since I started my flight training at Heierlark or when I flew two days ago"

"Usually they would fly unarmed, but our actual S.O.P. requires that they do. Since we're in a time of peace, all of our base commanders don't see the need to arm nuggets so they don't bother, but since that reporter is here, his story could get us in a lot of trouble with the top brass if they knew these pilots were going up unarmed."

It made sense to me so I relaxed a little. I saw Kei getting in her plane and I rushed over to her as she was strapping herself inside her F-5. I told her that she was going to be alright and that Pops was going to let me listen in over the radio while they were in flight. I guess that cheered her up a lot because she had the biggest grin I've ever seen from her on her face.

**1109hrs Hanger B**

I was in the cockpit of my plane listening to Captain Bartlett yell at the nuggets to get into position over the radio. I could only imagine what Kei was thinking now that she knew I was listening to all the yelling Captain Bartlett was doing. By the way he was howling at the ground, I figured that Genette must've been having fun. It kind of made me want to laugh knowing that the Captain didn't know that I was eavesdropping on everyone. Captain Bartlett was trying to get everyone to follow his lead as he led them through a bunch of advanced fighter maneuvers when all of a sudden, the command room hailed Wardog over the radio. They called out bogeys coming from the west and ordered Captain Bartlett to make the Intercept. _Why would unidentified aircraft be flying towards Cape Landers? Did these guys get lost or something?_

"Baker, Svenson, go trail and stay close. The three of us will go high and engage the bandits. All other aircraft stay low and out of the fight," said Captain Bartlett.

_He was going to engage them? They don't even know if they were friendly or not._ I continued to listen in while I waited anxiously for the next radio transmissions. An eternity seemed to pass by before someone broke the silence with a frantic call for help. One cry turned into many and I couldn't tell what was going on. I heard a couple of their radios get cut off and I realized the unidentified aircraft were firing on them. Captain Bartlett ordered the nuggets to start their evasive maneuvers before any more of them died. I couldn't believe it; all the nuggets were being attacked by the unknown aircraft. That meant that the instructors weren't there to defend them or organize them for a counter attack. I could hear frantic calls for help and warning alarms from the cockpits of the planes that had been hit. Pops knew there was something wrong when he saw the look on my face as I continued to listen. I couldn't do anything except to sit in my cockpit and cover my mouth with one of my hands.

"Svenson, stay close to me, we're going in. Baker, help those nuggets anyway you can. All aircraft you are weapons free," shouted Captain Bartlett.

"Edge, brake left, you got a bandit on your tail," said Baker.

_Oh God, not Kei. Please don't take Kei!_ I focused on listening to the chatter that had to deal with her. I was worried about her the most because I felt like I had lied to her when I told her everything was going to be fine. I also started to feel regret knowing what I had said to Barney and the others. If I had known that this would be the last time I saw most of the people from my class, I would've acted way differently.

"Edge, break right, NOW!" shouted Svenson and there was a brief moment of silence before he shouted at her again. "Take the shot… Now Edge, shoot!"

I could hear Kei choking up, trying to hold back her tears. I wanted to say something over the radio to comfort or encourage her, but what could I say? People were dying and she couldn't do much to stop it. I felt so helpless and it tor me up inside. All the screaming and explosions reminded me of the day my dad died. I could see those peoples' faces in my head as fire engulfed them and I wanted to reach out to try and save them. I couldn't listen anymore and threw my headset into my lap. I felt sick to my stomach and threw up over the side of my plane.

"Blaze, what's wrong," asked Pops.

I couldn't look at him and walked out of the hanger in shock. _Why is this happening? _I looked back to see Pops put on my headset and listen to what was going on. He was just as shocked as I was. I wanted to do something to help, but what could I do? I wanted to take my F-5 to meet the others and help fend off the enemy planes. I wanted revenge and I wanted it now. I was full of anger and rage that I punched the hanger door as hard as I could. The fact that I couldn't help the others slowly started to sink in and I tried making my way back to my room while trying my best to hold back my sorrow from everyone I passed by along the way. I was tired and I didn't know why. My back was hurting as well and I started fading in and out. I didn't know what was going on and I knew I couldn't make it to my buck before I passed out. I did manage to make it to crew room and I felt myself collapse on the couch. I was half awake as I laid there until I completely blacked out a few seconds later. _No, not again._

**1337hrs Crew Room**

I woke up on the couch in the crew room when I heard an explosion outside. I scrambled to my feet and looked through the blinds to see an F-5 burning on the runway and I race outside to see what had happened. I ran as fast as I could to see if Kei had made it back alive. When I was outside, I ran up to one of the guys who was putting out the fire and asked if anyone else made it back. He told me that the survivors were parking their jets over by the hangers, but I only saw one F-5 parking next to some of the other aircraft that were already parked on the flight line. I ran towards them, hoping that it was Kei's plane. I saw the pilots opening their canopies and watched them get down. Captain Bartlett's F-4 was there so I knew he made it back, and then I saw Kei. _Thank God she's alive._ I saw her get out of her jet and she just stood there. The color was flushed from her face and I could see her trembling from the adrenaline rush she must've felt during the fight. I saw the Captain walking away and with Genette following close behind and by the look of things, the Captain was grumbling to himself. Genette on the other hand didn't seem fazed by anything that just happened and he witnessed it all happen.

"Nagase, you keep flying like that and you'll die real soon," shouted the Captain.

"I won't die, sir," she said softly.

"Are you sure? You look like you couldn't hurt a fly," he said while he threw one of his hands up and turned to walk away.

Kei brought her hand to her head and returned to looking at the ground. I saw Genette raise his camera and take a couple pictures of Kei before he walked off. I ran towards Kei and she saw me coming, but before I could get close enough to say anything to her, she walked off. I could tell she didn't want to talk about what had happened and I felt like I had let her down. I wish that I had been there. I wouldn't have hesitated to shoot down those enemy planes that attacked the training flight. I could only imagine how Kei and Genette were going to deal with today's events. Seeing the loss of human life was something that no one would ever forget, nor was it something any decent person could get used to. I just hoped that today was the end of it all.

**1600hrs, crew room**

We gathered in the crew room after we got ordered to report and meet our flight leads. Captain Bartlett was the only flight lead on Sand Island so all the remaining nuggets had been transferred into his group. Kei took a seat in front and to the left of me and she looked like she was still shaken up by what had happened earlier. There were only five of us left but no one really seemed all that disturbed by the loss of everyone else. Eight people were dead because of the command room's FUBAR, or fucked up beyond all reason, information they fed to the squadron. Captain Bartlett sat up in his chair and he looked like he was going to give us bad news.

"I know you don't like this, but we're short on people. Starting tomorrow all of you nuggets are gonna be sitting alert. If we launch, stay glued to me up there. Nagase," he said sharply.

"Sir"

"You're flying number two on my wing. Gotta keep an eye on you or who knows what you'll get yourself into."

I now understood what Major Pesi and the Captain yelled at her about. Kei hesitated too much when she flew and that was a fatal characteristic that could easily exploited by an enemy pilot. Even though Kei might not have had the same killer instinct that I did, I could understand how she felt. My guess was that she felt guilty over not being able to protect the others because she hesitated to put another man's life in danger, even if he was trying to do the same. Chopper reasoned along similar lines. Kei didn't say anything to anyone for the rest of the day and isolated herself in our room. I still couldn't think of anything to say to her. When I decided to turn in for the day, she was already asleep in her bunk like nothing had happened. I could see the faint marks of dried up tears along the sides of her eyes and on her pillow. _I hope she can overcome all of this, she has to._

**September 24, 2010 1101hrs Cape Landers **

The Captain wasn't lying when he said we'd be sitting alert. We got assigned to intercept a damaged recon plane that had penetrated Osean Airspace over Cape Landers. I was damaged by Osean air defenses and was trying to egress towards the ocean. Captain Bartlett was leading the formation of me, Kei, and Chopper on an intercept course. I was flying trail position, which meant I would be the first one to get shot down if we were attacked from behind. Ironically enough, we were flying the same vector the enemy fighters from yesterday used to intercept the training flight so that put me even more on edge. Whether the others knew it or not, I had my eyes looking behind me the whole time, waiting for the enemy to show up.

"Wardog four, Hello? Can you hear me kid? You'd better be marking our tail son," shouted the Captain.

"Yes, sir," I replied.

"Looks like you're confidant at least, don't get separated from me, ok?"

"Man, I'm glad you threw the short straw instead of me," said Chopper.

"2nd Lieutenant Alvin H. Davenport, zip it! You need a nickname too?"

"I respectfully asked to be called Chopper, sir. I'm afraid I may not respond to any other moniker."

"Hmm, that does fit you well… I've got a better name for you, but I'll keep it to myself, Okay?"

While they were both arguing, I spotted a black dot in the distance and called it out to Captain Bartlett. We changed our heading to intercept the enemy recon plane. _An SR-71, what country other than Osea was able to get their hands on this plane? _Captain Bartlett told Chopper to give the enemy aircraft landing instructions while I kept my eye on Kei. She didn't seem too thrilled to be flying today and I guessed it was because she thought that something similar to yesterday would happen. I was really worried about her and my mind started to wander as I thought about why I was worried. _Do I just really like her or am I just trying to look out for someone who seemed innocent of everything? _Suddenly, our AWACS, Thunderhead, mentioned that an unknown formation was approaching from the west. We were ordered not to fire on them, but after what happened yesterday, I was ready to ignore the order. We abandoned the pursuit of the enemy recon plane and changed our heading to intercept the unknown formation. I was flying behind and to the right of Chopper with Kei flying on my right wing. I looked at both of them and started to worry that they'd hesitate if it came time to fight. My finger was poised on the trigger when we got within visual range of the enemy formation. My hopes of a nonviolent mission were shattered when my missile warning alarm went off and tracers whizzed by my canopy. This was the real thing and I wasn't going to let my fear get in the way. I rolled over the enemy formation and performed a split S to get behind one of the enemy planes.

"Heads up, they're firing on us," shouted Chopper.

"Wardog squadron, weapons safe, hold you're fire until further orders," warned Thunderhead.

_You can't be serious?!_

"Oh come on! Those aren't blanks they're firing out there!"

"Shut your mouth and fire back," shouted Captain Bartlett

"Captain Bartlett, this is Thunderhead. You are violating direct orders!"

"Shove it! I'm not gonna watch any more of my pilots die!"

_Righteous, here we go. _I latched onto one of the enemy planes that shot past me to my lower right side and chased him. His squad was flying MiG-21's, but the one thing I noticed about them was that their planes didn't have any markings on them whatsoever. Right now it didn't matter; I had to shoot him down. He pulled up into a climbing left turn in an attempt to shake me off of his tail but I lag rolled to the right and got an angle with my guns. My finger closed around the trigger and I watched my bullets impact along the side of his fuselage. His plane exploded into a brilliant fireball and tumbled into the ocean.

When I saw his plane crash, I flashed back to the day my dad died. I could hear the people screaming as I shot down another MiG-21 by pulling a seven G high yo-yo when I got behind him. He didn't see me firing as I dove on him and fired my guns into the MiG's engines. I wanted to drown out the screams of those people who died with the roar of my guns and the following explosion of an enemy plane. I felt a familiar sense of anger grip me and I welcomed the rage. My hands were shaking and I felt beads of sweat starting to form on my forehead. I was breathing heavily when I felt like my heart had somehow made its way into my throat. I imagined every single one of these enemy pilots as the person I hated the most in the world. He was the source of all my anger that I'd ever felt and I blamed him for everything that was wrong with me.

I looked for another enemy and chased him down as he turned to engage one of my allies. He tuned to look back at me and I could see those smiling green eyes looking at me. I wanted him dead and as soon as I had a lock on his plane, I sent a missile up his exhaust pipe. His plane was obliterated and the pilot didn't even have a chance to escape, not that I felt like he deserved the chance. _I finally got you, you son bastard_. I looked to my left and I could see another plane chasing Kei. Again, the pilot of that MiG had those green eyes.

"Come here you son of a bitch," I shouted and I opened the throttle all the way.

I quickly closed the distance on him while Kei led him through a series of hard left and right turns. I quickly made a bunch of calculations in my head to determine the best moment to attack. I hung back and waited for the enemy pilot to turn to go after her so that my missile would track him better. I had a lock and I fired my last missile but it flew past my target as he broke off his attack. I followed him through all of his twisting and turning, but it did him no good. I wasn't going to let him escape and I unloaded a barrage of cannon shells into his plane's cockpit when he tried going into a vertical climb. I could see blood covering the shattered remains of his canopy as he crashed into the ocean. I felt myself smiling for some reason and I watched as the others from my group started to fight back against this unknown enemy. Kei wasn't hesitating any more, Bartlett was flying as aggressively as I was, and Chopper was having a hard time keeping a target in his sights.

Suddenly, my missile warning went off. I looked over my left shoulder and saw it coming. I broke hard right and the missile passed right under me. I wasn't going to let him get away with that. I cut the throttle and barrel rolled over him just like I did to Major Pesi. The next thing I knew, he was a flaming wreck hurtling towards the water. My adrenaline was rushing as I frantically searched for another enemy pilot to kill. I wanted more and I felt like I would fight forever if I had too, but the skies were clear of all enemies. I wasn't paying attention to what was being said on the radio until Thunderhead spoke up.

"All unknown bogey aircraft shot down," said Thunderhead.

"You all alive," asked Captain Bartlett as everyone flew into formation around me. "Alright, nice work nuggets, Wardog four, you still follow us? Well to commemorate the fact that we all made it out of that battle alive, I'm going to let you keep your nickname. From now on I'm going to call you 'Kid' no matter what. Got it? Good"

The flight back to Sand Island was quiet. My hands were still shaking when we landed and I couldn't get them to stop. Kei parked her plane next to mine and I could see her looking at me from the corner of my eye after I took off my helmet. I was still breathing heavily and I leaned over the side of the cockpit to catch my breath. She had a worried expression on her face and I could understand why. I honestly had no remorse for the pilots I shot down today. I was responsible for the deaths of five men and I didn't care. I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the visor of my flight helmet and it scared me. My eyes were red and my hair was all messed up from my perspiration. I looked like a psychotic animal and I couldn't bear to look at myself. _What's wrong with me?_ Chopper came running over to congratulate me on becoming an ace, but it didn't matter to me anyways. All the things that ran through my head during that fight made me want to run away. I couldn't believe my past came rushing back to me within a couple of second. The anger and adrenaline were feelings that I had never wanted to feel again, but here it was.

**1733hrs, Sand Island**

We were told to keep everything that had happened today classified, so I was never officially became an ace of the OADF and I really didn't care for it. Becoming an ace was something that I used to think about when I was a kid but the reality of it was way different. I never thought that I'd actually be putting someone's life in danger. All I originally wanted was the aircraft, not the pilot. I played with Kirk to take my mind off of everything while I heard Captain Bartlett talking with Genette.

"Why do they even bother reprimanding me anymore? I know I'm gonna be stuck at Captain forever," said Captain Bartlett.

"…Who do you think's covering up the battle," asked Genette.

"Listen, the only thing across that ocean is Murska Air Base. That's Yuktobanian territory."

"But haven't we been allies with the Yukes since the war fifteen years ago?"

"Yeah," sighed Captain Bartlett as he scratched the back of his head. "That's why we got people working their asses off trying to confirm what the hell's going on over there. I bet they got hotlines ringing off the hook somewhere upstairs. The government doesn't want to get the public riled up with all this you know? But it doesn't matter; soldiers like us are too stupid to think for ourselves, so we just gotta keep mouths shut when they tell us to. I feel kind of bad for you actually," he said referring to Genette.

"It's alright. I get to be with you guys," he replied.

Yuktobania was the only other country those fighters could've come from and if that was the case, war was probably inevitable. The last war Osea was involved in was an extremely bloody one and the last one to break out on the planet was only six years ago during the Usean Conflict. That war was started over a super weapon that was intended to prevent another natural disaster that devastated certain countries. But as it usually goes, some power hungry asshole saw its true potential as a weapon and decided to use it.

"The Captain probably hates this more than anybody," said Pops as he walked over to Genette. "He used to have a lady friend over in Yuktobania."

Captain Bartlett could only look down and rub the back of his neck. "That's just an old war wound, now." Even if it was an old would, I could still tell that Captain Bartlett still held on to the thought of the woman Pops was referring to. I knew exactly how Captain Bartlett felt. I walked over to the hanger where my plane was stored in with Kirk and looked over my F-5. I started to wonder if my future engagements, if I had any, would be as successful (for lack of a better word) as yesterday. Chopper was able to count a total of twelve enemy aircraft that had attacked us. My plane hadn't suffered any battle damage and I reflected on the fight. The way those pilots maneuvered was a dead giveaway that those enemy were just starting out as combat pilots. _Why would they send nuggets to shoot down a training flight?_

That night, as I lay in bed, I thought about those pilots that I had killed. The rage I felt when I shot them down and the familiar sense of my survival instinct kicking in made me fear that Kei would find out what kind of person I actually was. I didn't want to make her afraid of me but I didn't want to lie to her either. I wondered if my flying had aroused any suspicion towards me at all. There was something about the way I flew that might've drawn a lot of attention towards me, but only if anyone was aware of what it was. It was highly unlikely that anyone on Sand Island knew so I didn't let it bother me.

"It changes you, doesn't it," Kei asked.

I snapped out of my train of thought when Kei had finally spoken to me for the first time since yesterday. I honestly didn't know how to answer her. I felt like a part of me had died, but at the same time I knew that nothing in me had changed. I knew I've always been like this but I never let anyone know about it, nor did I ever show it. I hated feeling like this, but I liked it, and that scared me.

"Yeah, I guess it does," I said.

"Can I ask you something, Antonio?" said Kei.

"What is it?"

"I heard you shouting over the radio when you were chasing your targets and it got me really worried about you. What was going through you mind when you shot down those five pilots?" asked Kei.

I didn't want to tell her about anything that I was thinking, but I felt like I should if I wanted her to fly with me again. I wanted to tell her everything but I couldn't. I was afraid she would judge me and become afraid of me. I could only be truthful to a certain point, but even that wasn't enough.

"I could only think about the others who died yesterday in that attack. I didn't want them to kill anyone else but I couldn't see any other way to stop them, so I did what I had to do to keep you and the others safe." I said.

"Do you feel guilty about those pilot's deaths?"

"No," I said bluntly.

"Me neither," replied Kei.

_She didn't feel guilty about the blood on her hands anymore?_ I didn't know what Kei was thinking but she had me worried now. I had more reason to not feel any remorse or guilt than she did and she only had to live with the fact that she hesitated to shoot down those enemy planes from yesterday. Maybe she was trying to avenge the others that died or maybe she had finally gotten over her guilt. Either way, she was becoming the person I was afraid of becoming.

**Personal aircraft kill record: 5 **


	4. The Longest Day

**Chapter 3 – The longest day**

**September 25 2010, Sand Island AFB**

The events of yesterday were still running through my head when I woke up to go for my morning run. I kept thinking about everything. Why would anyone want to attack Sand Island? Sand Island was the first line of defense against any attacks on Osea that came the west. Why did that enemy formation open fire on the training flight on the 23rd? They would have less resistance to face if they did launch an air raid on Sand Island. Regardless of how much training a pilot has had, if he was flying an armed aircraft, then he still poses some kind of threat. Why were those enemy pilots flying unmarked planes? The country they were from didn't want to start anything just yet. It would give them more time to complete whatever plans they had, while they kept the higher ups guessing who was responsible for all of it.

I was finished with my run and headed to the gym where I met up with Captain Bartlett. He was beating the hell out of a punching bag when I approached him.

"Captain, do you mind if I ask you something?" I said.

"What do you want kid"

"Do you believe that everything happens for a reason?"

"Kid, if you're trying to preach religion to me, then I'll use you instead of this punching bag"

"I'm not trying to preach religion, sir. It's just a question."

He stopped hitting the bag and tuned towards me. He looked like he wasn't done yet so I was ready for him to try and throw a punch at me, but instead he answered my question.

"Sometimes, like when Pops and I were shot down during the war fifteen years ago, it was like God wanted us to let the Demon Lord to do all the work for us."

"What about the enemy attacks on us in the past two days?"

"What about them?"

"I've been thinking about it ever since yesterday. The answers I've narrowed it down to make me sound like a conspiracy theorist."

"Alright, let's hear it"

I was very nervous about what he would say when I told him, and I got the feeling he would label me suspicious too. "I think those attacks were preemptive strikes on us, sir."

I told the captain everything that was on my mind and he just listened. He agreed that I did sound like a conspiracy theorist and that I was making sense at the same time.

"I'll tell you what kid, I'll tell Captain Hamilton about your theory, but I won't mention you. I'd rather be under suspicion than you." And with that, he went back to hitting away at the punching bag.

The rest of the day was pretty calm. After we started sitting alert, it was like we were officially qualified combat pilots. There were no more classes, no more lessons in the briefing room, and no more drills. It didn't seem right to be thrown straight into this mess. We all hoped the events from the past two day wouldn't escalate.

The only good thing about today was that it was Kei's 23rd birthday, so I wanted to do something nice for her. The thing was there was nothing to surprise her with. I asked Pops and he didn't have any ideas either. The only thing I could think of was to give her my Jell-O at dinner, so I went with it. She told me I was sweet just as I saw Chopper coming out of the kitchen holding a chocolate frosted cake singing happy birthday. That sly bastard was trying to outshine me.

"Wow thanks Chopper," said Kei

"Don't thank Chopper," interrupted Pops. "It was Antonio's idea."

"Well thank you very much Antonio," said Kei

All I could do was smile at her because I had no idea what the hell just happened. I saw Pops wink at me and I understood. Thanks for the help Pops.

**September 27, 2010 1101hrs Sand Island**

We scrambled to take off because we had reports of enemy UAV's performing recon on Sand Island. They were returning to a spy vessel to the south-west of the island and we were ordered not to destroy the ship. I thought if that ship was part of the recon operation, it should be destroyed as well.

"Wardog, this is Thunderhead. Unmanned recon drones retuning to spy vessel. Shoot them down be for they get back to the ship."

I didn't waste any time waiting for the captain to give the order to disperse. I applied full throttle and flew past the others.

"Show me what you got, Kid," said Captain Bartlett.

I closed in on the first pair of UAV's and gave each of them a short burst with my guns. They were pretty easy to shoot down.

"Guess this is a good time to have a little completion of kill scores," said Chopper.

"Well I'm already two ahead of you," I replied.

Chopper and I continued to shoot down the remaining drones and I beat him by three kills. Suddenly, Thunderhead called out four high speed bogies inbound from vector 280. Who the hell were these guys? Captain Bartlett ordered us to abort and Chopper and I turned to rejoin on him and Edge. Chopper was falling behind and was being fired at.

"I can't make it. They're running me down," said Chopper.

"Oh you're taking the Trail position today Rock 'n' Roller? Hold on, I'll clear your six o' clock for you, everyone else quit gawkin' and start shooting!"

Thunderhead was trying to get us to hold fire but Captain Bartlett and Edge were already filling planes with lead. I wasted no time finding a target. They were flying MiG-21's again, this would be easy. I latched onto a MiG that was tailing Chopper and launch a missile. He didn't see me coming because he didn't try moving out of the way. The enemy formation scattered and I gave chase to another MiG. The only reason I was able to shoot him down because he was flying in a straight line.

It was strange, today I wasn't thinking back to that day when I was eight. Every time I saw the enemy pilots, all I could see were those eyes, but it was like I knew it wasn't the guy I wanted dead. I only thing I could think about was to try and help my squad as best as I could.

"Captain, I got a flight of three enemies approaching from the north," said Edge.

I joined on Edge's wing and we flew towards the three enemy planes. We got within visual range and saw that they were MiG-29's. They were far superior then the F-5's we were flying or the F-4 the captain was flying. This was going to be tricky. Our only advantage was our numbers and I would have to find some way to make full use of it.

"Edge, I'm going in wait for me to give you a good angle," I said

"What are you doing," she asked.

"I'm going to chase one of them, assuming he out maneuvers me; I need you to cover me."

I pushed ahead and the enemy formation scattered. I latched onto a MiG that was diving and followed him out of his dive into a series of poorly executed maneuvers. These guys were as green as they came. These pilots had very little combat training, which meant that they shouldn't have been a problem to shoot down. Sure enough, they all bit the dust within a matter of minutes.

"Picture clear, all hostile aircraft are destroyed," said Thunderhead. "Wait, warnings still in effect keep your head on a swivel."

"Watch out Nagase, they're down below us too," said Captain Bartlett

I watched as the recon ship launched a missile towards Kei. She tried banking hard right but the missile kept pace with her easily. I then saw Captain Bartlett fly his plane between the missile and Kei. He was going to take the hit for her. I watched as the missile impacted off of his right wing and lose all control in it.

"Captain," cried Kei.

"Hey, save the water works. I'm just gonna bail out here. We can replace these things; it's getting the crew back alive that counts. Make a call to scramble the search and rescue copter and my reserve plane ok?"

We made the call for the chopper and wanted to stay on station until it arrived, but Thunderhead told us to rearm and refuel back at base.

"The enemy has declared war on us," said Thunderhead.

**1200hrs Sand Island**

As the ground crews were refueling our planes, I popped my canopy to ask if we were really at war. One of the guys said it was true and that scuttlebutt says that it was Yuktobania. Why would the Yukes attack us? Was it them who attacked us on the 23rd? I couldn't dwell on it for long because Thunderhead ordered us to fly towards Port St. Hewlett. It was the longest hour of silent flight I've ever experienced.

We arrived thirty miles outside of the harbor when Thunderhead gave us a paraphrased mission briefing. Our orders were simple; provide CAS for all ships of the 3rd Osean Naval Fleet but to focus on the aircraft carrier, Kestrel.

"Thunderhead to Wardog, Edge you lead the formation"

"Negative. You take the lead, Blaze. I'll fly on your wing"

"2nd lieutenants Nagase, follow your orders"

"No, Blaze is leading. I'll protect his six o' clock and I'm not going to lose another flight lead"

"Quit screwing around. This is war, the enemy is all over and they're gonna eat you alive," said a voice over the radio. I looked behind us to see an F-14 closing on us fast and fly ahead of us.

"Aaah…. I'd better stick to the trail position, thanks," said Chopper

"This is Captain Snow, call sign Swordsman. Engaging next enemy formation, give me a position"

I was nervous about taking command of the squad. I was responsible for keeping Edge and Chopper alive while providing CAS for our fleet while they escaped the port. Thunderhead cleared us to engage and I pushed the throttle forward. I could see A-6's attacking the port facilities and enemy F-5's providing top cover.

"I'll cover your six, alright Blaze," said Edge.

"Alright, try not to get separated from me. Chopper, there are plenty of other allied aircraft in the air, find one and fly as their wingman. Edge, we're going after those attackers first, understood?" I said.

They all acknowledged and we went to work. I flew to the west to engage the next enemy formation of A-6's. They were coming in fast from low altitude. They were headed straight for the Kestrel. I dove down after them with Edge right behind me. We closed in behind them and shot them down before they got within range. There were two more enemy formations approaching from the north and the south.

Our allies were being stretched too thin to cover the entire area. Radio traffic was too chaotic to effectively organize everyone. Orders were getting mixed up with useless chatter and the enemy was getting through our defenses. I just wanted to tell everyone to shut the hell up, but I couldn't. I could only continue the operation as best as I could.

"Hey, Kid, the enemy is too spread out. We might be stretching ourselves too thin if we disperse but I don't see any other options," said Chopper.

"I know, Chopper. Head to the northern sector and shoot down any attackers you see. I want you to scare the shit out of them so they don't come from that way again," I said.

"Alright kid, I'll give 'em hell"

"Edge, I need you to break off and cover the southern sector and show those guys what you can do," I said.

"But Blaze, I…"

"Don't argue with me woman! I'll be alright, now get over there and don't let any of those enemy planes get through. You can do it,"

I could tell she didn't want to go but I saw her break off and head south. I was covering the port exit and saw more A-6's inbound towards the fleet. I closed in on them and shot them down using my guns. I had a feeling I would need my missiles for later. I wanted to jettison my bombs to get rid of the weight, but when I looked down I noticed people floating in the waves. Some were civilians who were out for boat rides today and others were sailors whose ships were already sunk. I kept me bombs, and prepared for the next enemy wave.

I kept providing cover for the ships until I noticed there were only two left A-6's left coming in from high altitude from my ten o' clock. I turn into them and gave my F-5 every bit of power it had. I was in gun range when they saw me because they split up. I didn't have enough time to line up a shot on him with my guns so I shot one of them down with a missile.

The last A-6 was already lined up for a shot on the ships and took it. The pilot started to come around for another pass and I was about to shoot him down when I noticed the people in the water. If I shot him down then those people down below would die. If I didn't shoot him down then the already damaged ships would be in critical condition. I had to make a choice, and I chose to shoot him down before he fired. Edge and Chopper were starting to form up on me when they saw the plane crash into the water.

"Those… Those people floating in the waves," gasped Kei.

I had more peoples deaths on my hands than anyone else should, and with those people just floating there helplessly, I could never forgive myself. I could only think back to that day. How could that pilot with those green eyes smile at all those people he killed? How would I deal with it? I just wanted to close my eye and wake up in my bunk. I didn't want this to be real.

"Kid did you see that?" asked Chopper

"Yeah, I did"

"So you saw it too, that sea"

The fleet was moving into open waters and the Yukes set up a blockade up ahead. Now I was glad that I didn't jettison my bombs. I ordered Chopper and Edge to ready all weapons and focus on the ships blocking the fleet's path. I requested support from Captain Snow to help deal with any anti-ship aircraft and I could tell he was annoyed that I, a 2nd lieutenant, was asking a superior officer to help coordinate some kind of offensive strategy.

"Captain Snow, the fleet needs our full cooperation if it has any chance of making it out to sea fully intact," I said.

"Alright, fine. What do you have in mind," he asked.

"My squad is going to focus on the ships while you and I take out those anti-ship planes. I'll rotate with them out if they run out of bombs," I said.

"Alright, follow me"

I followed Swordsman into his attack run on the anti-ship planes. He was difficult to keep up with, mainly because his F-14 was better than my F-5. As soon as he was done with one target he would do some wild maneuvering to get into a position for his next target. I couldn't help but wonder if Captain Snow was trying to lose me on purpose. He wasn't giving me any opportunity to shoot down any enemy planes, but he told me to follow him so I had to assume it was an order when he said it.

"Kid I just dropped my last bomb on a destroyer, it didn't have that good of an effect on it," said Chopper

"Alright listen, get over here and support Captain Snow while I take care of the enemy ships," I said

There were three more ships left in the blockade and plenty of enemy fighters providing top cover. I gained altitude to dive on the destroyer that Chopper tried bombing. I was at four thousand feet when I started to dive at an eighty degree angle on the ship. My speed was well over Mach one when I released my bomb onto the destroyed. The explosion practically tore the ship in half when I looked back as I pulled out of the dive. All that was left were the two frigates and I only had three bombs left and one missile left. I had to use what my squad and I had left.

"Wardog, I need a weapons check," I said

"This is Edge I have only have my guns left"

"Chopper here, I got the same situation here kid"

"Edge, I need you to perform some strafing runs on the bridges of the two frigates. This will throw the ships' crew into chaos and it'll give the fleet some time to make their move," I said.

"Hey, Wardog leader, take your useless wingman with you, he's just getting in my way," said Swordsman.

"Fine, Chopper I want you to cover me and Edge while we're taking care of these ships"

Edge approached the ships head on at low altitude. I saw the ships bridge light from the explosion Edge caused from her strafing run. I moved into position to attack the rear of the ship and dropped two of my bombs. One of them hit the cruise missile launch tubes and blew the ship apart. I knew where I should hit the next ship.

I sank the final Frigate and cleared the way for the fleet. I could hear cheering over the radio and I could only think about all the people that died during the escape. I was glad the fleet made it out alright but I didn't think it was enough to cheer about. The fleet was going to be part of our counter attack and it would escalate the war. Chopper broke my train of thought by asking me if it felt good to be the flight lead.

"I could get used to telling you two what to do," I joked.

"I see. Good, I'm glad to hear it"

"Alright guys form up on me and let's get back to Sand Island," I said.

"One two three," counted Chopper. "One two three planes, count 'em up man, we're all back safe. I can't wait to tell the captain once they pluck him outta the ocean"

**1411hrs, Sand Island AFB**

We landed our planes and dragged our tired bodies to the debriefing room to give our mission reports. When we got done with that, I asked Captain Hamilton where Captain Bartlett was.

"The search and rescue team couldn't find him," he said

"What do you mean they couldn't find him," asked Kei.

Captain Hamilton explained that the S&R team couldn't find him and that they suspected he was taken prisoner aboard the recon vessel that we were ordered not to shoot. If that was the case, then Captain Bartlett was the war's very first POW of the war. I could see the sadness and guilt in Kei's eyes when she heard this.

"Maybe he planned to be captured," said Colonel Perrault.

"With all due respect, sir, but what the hell are you talking about," asked Kei.

"Watch your mouth 2nd lieutenant, and if you must know he came to with a very compelling argument that attacks on our training flights were preemptive strikes on us. He also mentioned that this base was the first line of defense to the west of the Osean mainland. His argument was so convincing that I started suspecting him of treason. I wanted him interrogated when he got back to base but since we can't find him, that makes me more suspicious of him," said Colonel Perrault.

Kei refused to believe that Captain Bartlett would betray us and left the room. I couldn't help but wonder how Colonel Perrault knew about my theory. Captain Bartlett said he told Captain Hamilton about it. Maybe my theory was convincing enough for Captain Hamilton to take action so he had to tell Colonel Perrault. I wanted to speak up about it, but if Captain Bartlett was under suspicion, then I would be too, so I kept my mouth shut.

I went to go looking for Kei. Pops told me that she was on the other side of the runway sitting on the sand. Sure enough she was there. She was sitting the same way I found her when I talked at Heierlark that one day, except she was looking out towards the ocean watching the sunset. I could tell she didn't want to be bothered, but I had to do something. I sat down next to Kei and she didn't even look at me as I started talking to her.

"I loved watching the sunset like this when I was a kid. I still do. Its times like this that actually make me forget about everything else in the world," I said.

"I don't know if I could ever forget anything that happened this week," said Kei softly.

"Well then you can't forget that someone actually remembered your birthday"

I saw her try to smile at that but it didn't last long. I knew she was talking about the captain getting shot down and all the other people that died today. I reached over and touched her shoulder.

"Hey, you also can't forget that Chopper and I are right here with you. We both won't be able to forget everything that's happened, but whatever comes next, you know that you won't face it alone. We're a team, Kei. We can rely on each other," I said.

She looked at me and smiled a little. I stood up and helped her up also. I was still looking at her when I noticed a Yuktobanian F-4 release a bomb. I grabbed Kei turned my back to the bomb and was knocked down by the shockwave of the explosion. We were both alright, but then we realized that the base was under attack. I helped Kei to her feet.

"Come on, we need to get to our planes," I shouted and we ran towards the hangers. Bombs were falling all over the place as Kei and I hauled ass to the hanger where our jets were parked. The other remaining pilots on the base were already taking off to fend off the first wave of attackers. Some of them didn't even make it off of the ground before their planes were reduced to flaming wrecks.

We made it to our planes and Pops had already laid out our flight gear for us. Chopper was already strapped in trying to start his plane. I could hear him trying to start his F-5 up over the radio and the control tower was continuing their alerts about the air raid, as if it wasn't obvious enough that we were under attack. My squad had just started to taxi onto the runway when a friendly plane had crashed into a row of parked jets to my right.

"All allied aircraft, this is Blaze, I need you guys to cover us while we take off," I called out.

"We'll try and do our best, Blaze. Just get your asses up here fast"

Edge was taking off when I looked behind her to see a group of fighters coming in to bounce her from above. They were being chased by the remaining allied planed, which were being chase by another formation of enemy fighters. I couldn't warn them in time and they were shot down as soon as they cleared Edge. Chopper made it up soon after Edge was airborne and then it was my turn. I was still strapping in when I taxied my F-5 onto the runway with the control tower and Pops yelling at me to scramble before I got attacked.

I gave my plane full power and started my take off roll. As soon as I made it off the ground and pulled my landing gear up, I saw a pair of F-4 Phantoms coming head on. I quickly acquired a missile lock on one of them and fired. His plane burst into flames and I rolled over him as the wreck flew by my. I swung around in a hard right turn and got onto his wingman's tail. I was eight hundred meters behind him and opened fire on him with my guns. I could see the cannon shells impact along his left wing causing it to rip off and send his F-4 into a violent spiral towards the ground.

"Edge, Chopper I need a count of how many enemy planes there are," I said.

"Kid, I see a formation of twelve fighters. They even got bombers, they want to destroy the base itself" said Chopper. "AHH my rock 'n' roll records, they're in my room. It took me forever to collect all those."

"Forget about them, dude. Right now I need you and Edge to take out those bombers before they do any more damage to the base," I said.

I saw a new formation of enemy fighters headed towards the base and I met them head on. They broke formation and I couldn't line any of them up for a shot. I put my plane into an Immelmann turn to and dove on a straggling enemy Tornado attacker. I sent a volley of cannon fire into his engines and watched his plane explode. I saw another Tornado to my right climbing to reach Edge, who had just shot down a bomber. I pulled the stick into my right thigh and rolled my F-5 into position for a missile shot and fired. My missile impacted the Tornado and I saw the pilot bail out.

"This is Wardog leader, Lieutenant Colonel Ford. Approaching Sand Island, what's your current status?"

I remember Chopper telling me about the Lieutenant Colonel, and how much of an ass he was. Scuttlebutt was that he was a captain that go promoted to Lieutenant Colonel for ratting out his wingman for flying while drunk and that apparently Colonel Perrault thought it was a good enough reason to give him two promotions instead of just promoting him to a major.

The control tower gave him the sit rep and told us to hold the runway until he arrived. I didn't even answer him because I was busy trying to provide cover for Edge and Chopper while they took out the remaining bombers. I honestly didn't want the Lieutenant Colonel to relieve me of command, but I had to face it.

We cleared out all remaining enemy planes when Pops took off from Sand Island.

"Look at the hanger," said Chopper. "Who the hell pulled that out?"

"This is Grimm; I was in the hanger helping out the mechanics. I'm taking off"

"The hell you are. You're not even out of replacement pilot training yet. Aren't there any other spare pilots around?"

"I didn't see any"

"There's no time, be careful Grimm, I'll cover you," said Edge.

As Grimm started to make his way to the runway, I noticed more enemy fighters on the way. They were going to try and attack Grimm. I only had four missiles left and Grimm had eight F-16 gunning for him. I had to coordinate some kind of defense to cover Grimm but it would be difficult with just the three of us in the air.

I ordered Edge and Chopper to form a Lufbery Circle above Grimm at three thousand feet. This tactic would allow us to make diving passes at any enemy trying to attack Grimm and allow us to protect each other if any enemy was dumb enough to try and attack one of us while we were flying in this formation. Sure enough, some Yuke pilots were dumb enough to try and make passes at us and they were quickly dispatched.

Our defensive tactic didn't last long after we shot down four of the attacking fighters. The four remaining enemies decided to attack all together. Three of them made a pass at Grimm, which forced all of us to pounce on them. This left an opening for the final enemy fighter to attack Grimm; however he decided to follow me into a dive and chase me.

As soon as I shot down one of the attacking planes I cut back on the throttle and pulled back on the stick. The nose of my F-5 was perpendicular to the angle I was diving. My plane's speed dropped like a ton of bricks and my pursuer flew right past me. I pushed the stick forward and chased him. He tried climbing into a tight vertical left spiral, but it only gave me a good angle to open fire with my guns. I squeezed the trigger and watched my shells impact his F-16 behind the cockpit and separate it from the rest of the plane.

"This is Grimm, I'm about to take off, can you see me from up there?"

"Yeah, you're all clear. Now get your ass up here," I said.

Grimm started his take off roll and was airborne within second. Chopper finally had himself a wingman for today and he didn't waste any time telling Grimm to support him.

"This is Airman First Class Grimm, call sign Archer. Control tower and all aircraft, I will be joining Wardog squadron"

"Roger that. Blaze, take care of him for us," said the control tower.

There was another enemy wave of bomber approaching from the east. Lieutenant Colonel for was approaching from the same direction.

"This is Lieutenant Colonel Ford, Sand Island I'm out of fuel. Requesting permission to land"

"Negative Lieutenant Colonel, you can't land. We're under air attack"

"All friendly aircraft cover me while I land"

"What are you, insane?" said Chopper.

"Second Lieutenant Davenport, is that you? I'll be sure to write you up after…"

Before he could finish his sentence, the Lieutenant Colonel's plane was hit and trailing fire. I watched as his plane crashed into the water with him still in it. He was so distracted that he didn't see the enemy formation attack him from behind.

The final wave of enemies consisted of two more bombers and 10 MiG-29's. I thought that the pilots of the MiG's would be more experience than the first three I fought with earlier today, but at the same time I was wondering if those three from earlier were just piss poor pilots that got selected to go on a suicide mission. Either way I had to be ready for this new formation.

"Chopper, Grimm Focus on those bombers, Edge and I will cover your attacks," I said.

Edge formed up on my left wing and we dove into the formation of MiG's. I lead us through some hard maneuvering but I we couldn't shake them off. I ordered Edge to break off and attack any fighters that tried to attack Choppers element but she was too caught up in the dogfight that she couldn't do it. It was up to Grimm and Chopper to look out for each other.

"Edge, have you ever played Chicken before," I asked.

"Yeah, but I would usually always lose"

"Well, we're going to play it right now and we're gonna play it full speed. Get over to the west side of the runway and I'll come in from the east. When I say so, you're going to brake right."

We both maneuvered into position and I gunned the engines. As we launched towards each other, my heart was pounding in my throat and my thoughts were racing. Would Edge turn to my right or her right? Would she turn at all? Time just seemed to slow down the more I thought about it. I could see Edge coming towards me followed by the four MiG's that were chasing her. The time it actually took for me and Edge to meet took a matter of second.

"Now!" I yelled.

Edge broke right but I continued flying head on into the enemy formation. I don't know if it was fear or if I wasn't paying attention to myself, but I flew through the formation. I saw mine and Edge's pursuers break off and scatter. We had created an opening and we took it.

I latched onto a MiG's tail and landed hits on his left engine causing his plane to smoke and spin uncontrollably out of the sky. I saw another MiG at my eleven o' clock high and I climber up to meet him. I sent another burst from my guns into the nose of the jet where the pilot would be sitting and his plane just rolled over and dove into the ground.

Edge was already in the process of shooting down her third MiG when I noticed she was being chased. As I was about to warn her, I saw Archer dive on the MiG. He shot it down with such ease and climbed back up to steal one of Copper's kills. Grimm wasn't letting the enemy fighters get anywhere near Chopper.

The final enemy wave was starting to fall apart and the only thing that stood between my squad and a safe landing was an enemy formation of 4 MiG-29's. They knew how to fly and they were throwing themselves all over the sky trying to shoot us down and get away. I ordered my squad to disperse and the enemy formation did the same. I was going after the flight lead and he really knew what he was doing. Every time I was close to latching onto his tail, he would reverse direction twice and force me into a stall if I tried to keep up.

I remembered one of the dog fighting books that I read mention that in a dogfight, speed was everything. Not just how fast my plane is going, but how quickly you acted and reacted. If my reaction time was slower than my opponent, then I would be the one to wind up dead. My only chance of surviving the fight would be if I was faster.

I forced him to chase me at high speeds and he kept up with every twist and turn I made. He was closing in on me and soon he would have a shoot. I leveled off, cut power, and barrel rolled over the enemy flight lead. My favorite maneuver had put me right behind him. I locked onto him and was about to fire when he put his plane into Pugachev's Cobra. I was going to over shoot and he would have the advantage again unless I threw him off.

Before I passed him, I rolled upside down, pulled back on the stick, and dove for the deck. I kept my eye on him as he came out of his maneuver and searched for me. I pulled into a climb and soon after, I had him in my sights. I fired the remaining ammo I had in my guns into his plane, but he was still flying. He was losing speed and his maneuvering was sluggish. I locked onto him with a missile but I couldn't get a good angle so the missile wouldn't miss. Suddenly Grimm came down in a steep dive, firing his guns at my target. Grimm over shot but his attack forced my enemy to brake, giving me the opportunity to fire my missile. I took the shot and the MiG was reduced to a fireball headed for the ground. The air raid was finally over.

"Control tower to all aircraft, all bombers confirmed destroyed, thanks for protecting our base, everyone!"

"Was my flying alright," asked Grimm.

"A little rough around the edges but yeah, you were great," I said.

Chopper didn't seem to agree and started complaining about how Grimm stole one of Chopper's kills and how he almost stole my last one. I honestly didn't care if Grimm took it or not I just wanted to go to bed already, but I had to stay and make sure everyone had landed first. So I circled over the base watching the sunset through the smoke and haze. This was my favorite time to fly. If I wasn't so tired I could've stayed up there to watch the sun set entirely.

When I landed, I realized that it had been just over seven hours since the war began. The preemptive strikes on Sand Island in the past week were really taking a toll on us and things would get even more stressful for Wardog because we were the only four combat pilots left on the base. I wanted to talk to Pops about what has happened so far, but I wouldn't see him until tomorrow morning.

I was headed to my room when Kei pulled me aside in the hallway to ask me something. By the look in her eyes, I could tell she was worried about something.

"I've noticed the way you've been flying today and it makes me wonder about you," she said

"What do you mean," I asked

She seemed nervous about what she was going to ask me, and that worried me. I got the feeling that she might be second guessing her decision of letting me lead the squad or something, but as always I could never have guessed what she wanted to ask me.

"We're all responsible for some of the deaths of our enemies but the way you fly during a fight makes me wonder if you find pleasure in doing it"

"I see what you're asking," I said softly. "Every time I shot down an unsuspecting enemy, I did it because if I didn't more people would've died if I didn't. Every time I shot down an enemy trying to shoot me down, I did it to stay alive."

"What do you mean more people would've died?"

"Those planes trying to sink the ships would've damaged them, but at the same time they could've killed some of the crew members aboard the ship if I hadn't stopped them. I don't take pleasure in any of this; in fact I'm already sick of it. My hands are covered with the blood of people just like you and me. I'm responsible for a husband not being able to go back home to his family. I'm responsible for making a child grow up without a father."

I could hear my voice get louder the more I talked about the subject and I could see that Kei was getting sinking her head lower and lower. I wanted to break down and cry but I didn't want Kei to see. I couldn't help it; I leaned against the wall and sank down to the floor.

"Dammit, Kei, how did all this happen? Why did Yuktobania declare war?" I asked.

She sat down next to me and put her arm around me.


	5. Rendezvous

**Chapter 4 – Rendezvous **

**September 28, 2010, 0430hrs**

I woke up an hour earlier than usual, but I wasn't in my bed. I was sleeping with Kei in her bed and we were spooning. I was still wearing my flight suit and she was wearing her white tank top and her flight pants. I don't know how me and her ended up sleeping together or if she remembers how we got like this, but I felt really awkward knowing that I was in bed with my wingman. At the same time though, it felt so right. Ever since we left Heierlark, I kept thinking about what Master Sergeant Russell had said about how Kei liked me. I had a crush on her too but I never gave any indication about me liking her after all this time.

I was careful when I got out of her bed so I didn't wake her up. She was sleeping peacefully and after a day like yesterday, I didn't blame her. I got ready for my morning workout routine and left the room quietly. As I was running around the base, I looked up to see Pop's plane coming in to land. I wondered where he was and why he didn't return after the attack. After I was done with my run I headed to the hanger to find him. He looked like he was oblivious to what happened last night.

"Blaze, glad to see you're still alive. Did anyone else make it?" he asked.

"We all made it except for Lieutenant Colonel Ford. Grimm unofficially joined Wardog last night," I said.

"The Lieutenant Colonel is dead?"

"Yeah, he was on his way over when he said he was out of fuel and requested permission to land. He started his approach when Chopper made a sarcastic remark about his sanity. Ford was about to say that he was going to write Chopper up when he got shot down. So with Ford gone, there's no one left to lead Wardog so we'll all probably be reassigned," I said.

"You always this glum?" asked Pops.

"I never really thought of myself as glum. I'm just being a realist," I replied. _I know I'm usually negative about stuff when I just face the facts._

"Well being a realist can be the worst way to view the world. What I mean is that you face facts right away and you miss opportunities too easily. I understand it hard to be optimistic, but sometimes you have to dig deep and find some kind of silver lining."

Pops' words were buzzing around in my head all morning. That was until, until I ran into Kei in the gym. I wasn't stealthy enough when I got out of her bed and we just stared at each other in an awkward silence. I didn't know what to say. I felt like she could read my mind when I looked at her and that she knew that I thought she looked good in those workout pants she had on.

"Listen, about last night," said Kei.

"Did anything happen?" I asked nervously.

"What, no. You fell asleep in the hallway and Chopper helped me carry you to our room. I carried you on my back and put you in my bunk but I didn't feel like moving to couch or your bunk so I stayed in mine."

Part of me felt like she was bullshitting me, but then again she was probably just as tired as I was so I could kind of understood that. I didn't want to talk about what had happened and I tried to change the subject.

"So… You can carry that much on your back," I asked.

"Yeah, believe it or not, I can squat almost twice my own weight"

"I can see that," I said under my breath.

"Huh?"

"I said I'd like to see that," I said. _Nice save, Antonio._

"Alright, but I need you to spot me though."

I followed Kei to the rack and sure enough she wasn't lying. I was actually impressed that she was able to get eight reps with two hundred thirty pounds on her back and as we continued to share the gym together, I found out just how strong she was. I honestly thought that she would've only been able to do less intense workouts. This was actually the first time I had fun during my workout and it was all thanks to her.

After Kei and I got done at the gym, we took our showers and wandered around Sand Island for a little bit. There was nothing much going on until Captain Hamilton called me into Colonel Perrault's office. I got the feeling that he heard about Kei and I's night together or that he heard a rumor that I got wasted or both. Either way I was in trouble if he knew about either one. I entered Colonel Perrault's office and presented myself.

"2nd Lieutenant Castillo reporting as ordered, sir," I said.

"At ease Castillo, we have some pressing matters to discuss with you. As you know, Lieutenant Colonel Ford isn't alive due to your lack of support for his safe landing last night," said Colonel Perrault. He was trying to blame me for Ford's death, but in actuality there was nothing Wardog could've done to support him. I was surprised Captain Hamilton didn't try and defend me as the Colonel's bogus accusation, but then again, he was Hamilton's boss. I didn't think it was mine or anyone else's fault that Ford was dead. "Fortunately for you, that's not why you're here," said Colonel Perrault.

"With Ford no longer with us, Wardog has no official flight lead," said Captain Hamilton. "The only two options left are to either transfer you and the others member of Wardog into other squadrons, but doing so would leave Sand Island without any pilots left."

"Couldn't you just rotate another squadron in, sir?" I asked.

"We could, but it would only be temporarily. Our remaining supply of pilots is already stretched too thin for another squadron to be here permanently," said Captain Hamilton.

"What's the other option, sir?"

"The other option is to promote one of you to Captain so that Wardog isn't disbanded. After a very hard fought discussion with central command…" Captain Hamilton paused, reached into his pocket, and threw a small black box towards me. I caught it and nervously opened it. I saw a pair of Captains' bars inside of it and I was totally speechless. "We're promoting you to Captain," continued Hamilton. "The way you led your team during those two sorties yesterday made you the right choice for this promotion."

I still didn't know what to say. I was in the military for just under two years, and already I was being promoted to Captain. I was also a Marine and I was in charge of a squadron in the Air Defense Force. I was questioning all of this and I wanted to ask Captain Hamilton how all this was possible, but he stopped me before I could speak.

"Like I said, Captain, it was a very hard fought discussion. We also got Grimm officially rotated into Wardog but only as an enlisted airman. He won't be given the rank of 2nd lieutenant until his college credits clear and when we get his papers processed, which will take quite some time. One final thing, once we dismiss you, you might want to talk to Pops about some new hardware that should be arriving later on today."

"Thank you, sir," I said.

I could see that Colonel Perrault wasn't happy about any of this and I didn't care what he thought, but he let me know anyways after Hamilton left.

"Now you listen to me you smug little turd, I was against this from the start, but since central command ruled in favor of it, I have to make nice and agree with them on this. But just so you know, I'll be waiting for the day you screw it all up and show everyone that making you Captain was a huge mistake."

"I'll be sure they won't regret this, sir. Unlike you, I won't hide my mistakes like a coward when I make them," I said and left his office.

I went to the crew room where the rest of my team was. They were all relaxing because we weren't allowed to help with the cleanup and repair efforts around the base. We were supposed to be sitting alert, so that's what we did. I noticed Genette filming Kei as she was writing in her book. His eyes were glued to her as she sat there with only her tank top and flight pants on. Genette looked as though he'd never seen a woman before or at least a woman as beautiful as Kei.

"Hey, what are you doing?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm just continuing my article that I started from when I arrived. I was doing a profile view of everyone in the Sand Island Squadron and I was hoping to interview you guys later on if that's alright," said Genette.

"I've always wanted to have a newspaper article written about me," said Chopper as he walked over towards us. "Just think about it, Kid, women lining up to meet the men who saved their country from the Yuke invaders."

I saw Kei shoot an annoyed look at Chopper and he saw it.

"Sorry, I almost forgot about Nagase. She'll have to hire me as her bodyguard to fend off all her future suitors. We'll be the four most famous people in Osea."

"Is that so? With what skills do you expect defend me with," asked Kei.

"These skills," said Chopper as he started punching the air in front of Kei. At which point she grabbed his arm, pulled him to the ground, and put Chopper in an arm bar. Chopper started to tap out and Kei let him go. _I didn't know she knew MMA._

"I can handle myself," said Kei as she got up, grabbed her book and left the room. As she was about to turn into the hallway, she stopped and looked at me. Her eyes widened when she noticed the Captains' insignia on my collar.

"Why are you wearing those bars?" she asked suspiciously.

"It was either this, or we all got transferred somewhere else and leave Sand Island defenseless," I said.

"What are you two talking about?" asked Chopper.

I turned around and showed him my collar. Chopper could only look at me completely stupefied with his mouth open. Grimm immediately popped up and saluted me and Chopper and Kei followed his example. I felt really uncomfortable with the three of them saluting me so I told them not to do it again.

"When did you become Captain, sir?" asked Kei.

"Please don't call me 'sir'; it just makes me feel uncomfortable. Captain Hamilton convinced the top brass to promote me so that Wardog wouldn't be disbanded. I don't know how he did it but it happened. I'm officially the permanent flight lead of Wardog, until further notice anyway," I said.

"Wait, but they promoted you from a 2nd lieutenant to Captain? Is that even possible?" said Genette.

"I don't know, I've only been in the military for just under two years and already the brass wants me leading Wardog. Captain Hamilton just said it was a hard fought discussion with the brass," I told them and their eyes just got wider with astonishment.

"Do you mind if I interview you first Captain?" asked Genette.

I really didn't want to be interviewed because I hated being bombarded with questions and it put me under a lot of pressure. When I was under pressure, I would usually begin stuttering uncontrollably and I didn't want him or anyone else to know that, so I declined and Genette didn't press the issue. While Genette interviewed everyone else, I went to find Pops. He was sitting in one of the hangers, resting in a chair near his work shop with some of the other mechanics. Word got to them about my promotion and they all saluted me as I approached them. I was still getting used to saluting to the others who were lower in rank and I could see why Captain Bartlett hated being saluted. Pops saluted me too and it made me feel even weirder when he called me 'sir'. Something about someone older than me calling me 'sir' didn't sit well with me so I asked him not to do that.

"So Pops, Captain Hamilton said to talk to you about some new hardware we're supposed to be getting today, what is it?" I asked.

"Follow me and I'll show you," said Pops with a huge grin on his face.

I followed Pops to one of the other hangers and showed me a wide selection of new planes that had just arrived. F-16C Fighting Falcons, F-14D Tomcats, F/A-18 Super Hornets, A-10 Thunderbolt II's, F-15E Strike Eagles, and F-22 Raptors. I was like a little kid in a candy store the more I looked at all of these planes, and I hurried to claim my personal planes that I wanted for myself. I sat in every one of the cockpits and felt around at all the controls, trying to get a feel for each one. Every plane seemed to have its own aura and I picked out the ones that felt right to me. I wanted to take my F-18 for a test flight, but we couldn't fly them just yet. The ground crews had to perform maintenance, and tune everything before they were cleared for active duty.

As I was headed back to the crew room, I saw the rest of my team followed by Genette coming towards me. Genette wanted to get a picture of Wardog squadron for his newspaper article and he wanted to take the picture outside because the lighting was better. We lined up in front of a row of F-5 that were parked on the tarmac and stood professionally. Genette asked us not to be so serious and Chopper took this as a go ahead to act a little goofy. He grabbed Grimm around the neck and pulled his head next to Chopper's chest. Chopper flexed his free arm, blocking my face in the picture. I was glad that he did because my facial expression seemed like I was saying 'what the fuck?' Kei could only cradle her arms and look at Chopper and Grimm with a slight smile.

**September 30, 2010 1422hrs, Eaglin Straits**

We arrived on station over Eaglin Straits as a heavy fog settled in over the area. Our AO was well beyond enemy air attack and we all figured the enemy wouldn't try anything. We were ordered to fly top cover for three aircraft carriers as they rendezvoused to form a combined fleet for a counter attack against Yuktobania. The carriers' names were the Buzzard, the Vulture, and the Kestrel. I didn't know the detail of the future plans of attack but if I had to venture a guess, I would've assumed that this new fleet would launch a large combined air attack on key Yuktobanian bases. The only thing that worried me was the probability that Yuktobania might've had some kind of defense set up for an assault like this. We all flew a formation of F/A-18E Super Hornets. I wanted us to be ready for anything, which we all doubted anything would, so I ordered us to carry two AGM's and six Sparrow missiles along with our usual Sidewinder missiles. I just hoped to God we didn't have to use them. Regardless of how minimal the threat was, everyone that air command could call upon was mobilized to provide air cover as the three carries meet up with each other. Grouping them together didn't seem like a good idea at all because if the Yukes launched an attack big enough, then they could easily get rid of our primary assets for the Osean counter attack. It would've made more sense if our forces were reconsolidated separately and then brought together later on. Bringing these carriers together like this was like painting a huge bull's eye on Osea's back. The Eaglin Straits had only one way in and out and the fleet could easily be trapped if the Yuke navy blockaded the entrance.

We flew in formation over the carries when Thunderhead gave permission for the other squadrons to return to their bases. Wardog was told to wait for a tanker to so we could refuel and remain on station until everyone else left. _We're the furthest ones out from our base, why couldn't we leave?_

"Everyone's starting to leave, can we go yet?" complained Chopper.

"Wardog squadron, I told you to wait for the tanker plane above the carrier," said Thunderhead.

"I swear man. Hey what is that? Is my radar on the Fritz?" said Chopper.

I looked down and noticed multiple hits on my radar coming from the Northeast. _This isn't happening_, I thought.

"It's showing up on mine too," said Grimm.

"Where'd it come from? How come the morons at Thunder-Blockhead didn't notice it? Yo, Kid!"

"You have to call him Captain now," said Grimm.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, hey do you think we outta report this?"

"Screw it, intercept that formation. All weapons are free. Don't let them get near those carriers," I said as I turned to engage the enemy formation.

I got within visual range to see that they were AV-8B Harriers. These things were as useless as an ash tray on a motorcycle when it came to dogfighting against our Super Hornets. Their top speed couldn't reach past Mach 1 and they had limited maneuverability. These pilots were sent on a suicide mission whether they knew it or not.

Chopper shot one down while the Harriers were coming head on and the rest of the squad scattered. One of the enemy planes I latched onto tried diving for the carriers, but a three second burst from my gun into his right wing sent him into the water. The rest of the enemy formation fell apart soon after Kei and Grimm joined the fray.

Two more formations of Harriers were approaching from the east and west. I ordered Chopper's element to intercept the formation to the east while Kei and I intercepted the formation to the west. They were coming in from low altitude like the A-6's that we shot down at Port St. Hewlett. Kei and I dove on them and followed them under the bridge that connected the two land masses that formed the striate. The Harriers launched their missiles but they failed to track the carriers. The Harriers pulled into a climbing right turn, giving me and Kei a good angle to shoot both of them down with our guns.

"Visibility is poor, it's the perfect time and place for a surprise attack," said Kei.

"Yeah, I can't help but feel like everything's working against us," I said.

"Something's strange here but I don't know what. Is this what an enemy attack is usually like?" asked Grimm.

He was right. How did the enemy know when and where to attack? A regrouping of our forces like this isn't exactly public knowledge but more of a need to know basis. Another thing that seemed off was these fighters. We were outside the range of enemy air attack and these were carrier based aircraft, so the Yukes could've had an aircraft carrier nearby. If that was the case, then it should've been detected.

More enemy formations were showing up on radar, but they were no match for our F-18's, but if more and more came then we would be overwhelmed soon. One Harrier I tried chasing down had the heart of a dogfighter. He was coming in from the west at low altitude. I had an altitude advantage over him and I used it to perform a split S so that I could dive behind him. I was too eager and this pilot saw me coming because he broke hard left, spoiling my attack. If I tried to turn with him, I would've overshot and he would've been able to fill my plane full of lead. I pulled up out of my dive and used the speed I had gained to climb out of reach. I kept my eye on my target to see him coming after me. _This guy is insane. _I continued climbing and pulled a hard right turn so that I could dive on the enemy plane. I couldn't line him up fast enough and flew past him. I pulled into a tight loop when he reversed his direction to give chase to me. He couldn't keep up and I was finally able to get a shot on him. More enemy fighters started to appear on radar and we started to become overwhelmed. The Harriers were getting even closer to the carriers and we couldn't repel them back with just the four of us.

"Thunderhead, where are those fucking allied squadrons," I shouted.

"They're on the way. Just hang in there."

"Why haven't the carries launched their fighters yet?!" exclaimed Kei.

"This is Swordsman, keep us covered until we get up in the air."

_God dammit!_ Kei formed up on my left wing and we held our position as more Harriers made attack runs on the carriers. She spotted a flight of four Harriers coming in at ten o' clock low. Kei put her Super Hornet into a diving left turn to get behind the enemy aircraft, but she didn't see the other enemy formation diving on her from twelve o' clock high. I pitched my F-18 up to meet them head on but when they saw me coming, the flight lead led his wingmen into a steeper dive. The move was simple but extremely effective. The steeper dive threw off my timing and I couldn't line up a shot quick enough. The enemy formation shot past me and I quickly rolled upside down, lowered my flaps, pulled the air brakes, and cut back on the throttle. My F-18's nose quickly pointed straight towards the ground and I quickly acquired a lock on the trailing enemy aircraft with a sidewinder. I took the shot as my plane recovered from the stall I had put myself into. I dove after the remaining three attackers that were chasing Kei and I sent a volley of 20mm cannon shells into the lead plane's fuselage. He was belching out thick oily smoke and tried to pull out of his dive, but he couldn't. The remaining two Harriers continued chasing after Kei who had already shot down three of the attacking enemy aircraft headed for the carriers. I quickly locked both of them up with my Sparrow missiles and fired. Both of my missiles hit their marks and reduced the Harriers to nothing more than flaming scrap. Kei tried to shoot down her final target but she couldn't get to him in time. The enemy pilot got within range to fire a missile at the Kestrel but it exploded before it could even touch the ship. The CIWSs on the Kestrel's stern came to life and shot the missile out of the sky before it could do any real damage to the carrier. Kei broke off her pursuit of the last enemy Harrier and watched as it peeled away from the Kestrel. As the Harrier tried to break off his attack, the Kestrel's AA defenses came online and launched a missile at the enemy aircraft. As soon as the missile impacted the enemy plane, the carrier aircraft started to launch off the flight deck and join the fight.

Swordsman was the first pilot to join the skirmish and commence his attack on the incoming fighters. Captain Snow's flying was superb compared to most of the other Osean pilots. However, the thing I didn't like about his flying was that he was greedy when it came to shooting down enemy aircraft. He almost collided with a couple of allied pilots in attempt to steal their kills, myself included. _What the hell is wrong with this guy? _

"Hey, watch it, Captain," I shouted over the radio.

"Stay out of my way, Blaze," he snapped.

"Wardog, switch to our private channel," I said over the radio and I heard my team's comm cut out. I switched over to the new radio channel and began to speak. "Swordsman wants to us to stay out of his way so do as he says."

"He's all over the place, Kid. He almost crashed into his own wingman because he's greedy," said Chopper.

"Then let him have them. If he thinks he can secure the airspace alone then let him do it. Disengage all enemy aircraft and let Captain Snow have his glory."

"Blaze, you can't be serious," said Kei.

"He's not going to listen to us. For up on me," I said as I climbed and held my position at six thousand feet.

My team got into formation and started to circle the AO. I could see the air battle raging on down below and I could see Captain Snow's F-14 flying all over the place. As soon as he shot down one plane, he would go after another target. He was pushing himself to his limits and was draining his ammo rapidly. Swordsman would fire his gun into the enemy aircraft to disable him first and then he would fire a missile to finish the job. A third of the time, he would pour a long stream of bullets into his target without aiming for any specific part of the enemy aircraft. I was trained to shoot down enemy aircraft by targeting vital sections of the aircraft such as the engines, cockpit, or vital control surfaces like the horizontal and vertical stabilizers or ailerons. Swordsman was firing wildly into the enemy fighters when he caught them on his own. When he tried taking other people's kills it didn't take much for him to finish them off. I wanted to beat the shit out of him for endangering his allies but if he wants to be a glory hound, then I'd let him. Captain Snow continued to hold off the enemy fighters but more and more just kept coming. I was amazed that he was able to keep up his frenzy for more than a minute before he started to become overwhelmed. Enemy Harriers were closing in from all over the place but Captain Snow just remained silent and continued protecting the carriers.

"He's about to get overwhelmed, Captain. The carriers are going to get hit if this keeps up," said Grimm.

"He ordered us to stay out of his way. As a superior officer, we have to comply," I said.

"Do you have a problem with authority, Kid," asked Chopper.

"Only with stupid people," I murmured. "Swordsman, enemy fighters are coming in from the west at low altitude."

"What the hell are you telling me for? Get after them!" he shouted.

"You heard the man, let's go," I said.

We all dispersed and started to pursue targets. Kei and I were diving on a pair of Harriers from their three o' clock high. We both led our targets and they ran into our barrage of cannon fire. Both planes fell into the water in flames and we could see even more enemy fighters coming in from further west. We all regrouped and made our way towards the enemy formation but they scattered when they saw us coming. I chased two Harriers that were coming in at low altitude. As I was closing in on them, I saw that they were slowing down way too much. I thought they were going to stall, but they didn't stall and I flew right by them when I realized what they did. _Dammit, how could I forget that they could hover in the air like that? _I pulled into a hard left turn while they tracked me and I saw Kei circling above them, waiting for the right time to pounce. I circled the hovering Harriers and waited for them to launch their missiles at me. One of them fired a missile at me and I barrel rolled over it at the last possible second. Then the second harrier fired as I came out of my maneuver, but I was in no position to dodge it either. I launched a burst of flare to distract the missile as Kei swooped down and destroyed both of the Harriers in a single attack. Chopper was trying frantically to get a bead on one of the enemy fighters as he twisted and turned in a desperate attempt to escape. The enemy pilot tried to pull hard into Chopper's turn but he wasn't expecting Chopper to react so quickly. When the enemy tried breaking into Chopper's turn, he ran into a stream of 20mm cannon fire that tore off the right wing of the enemy plane. Chopper let out a shout of joy and latched onto another target. I noticed Grimm flying as aggressively as Captain Snow, but more coolheaded and less reckless. Grimm was at high altitude when he spotted an enemy Harrier at his two o' clock low. Instead of diving straight for the enemy plane, Grimm barrel rolled into position behind his target and fired his gun into the Harrier's right side, causing it to spin out of control and crash. Grimm then pitched his F-18 up and headed straight for a Harrier that was diving on the Buzzard. He didn't have a missile shot on the enemy plane but he did fire his gun into the Harrier's nose section. Grimm must've killed the pilot because the Harrier didn't pull out of his dive and crashed into the water. We all took one last look around before we saw that the sky was clear and we were about to wait over the carrier for the tanker plane when Thunderhead called out a new enemy formation carrying long range anti-ship missiles.

"Kid, do you see any of them," asked Chopper.

"Negative visual contact, but if you see any get after them," I ordered.

A few seconds passed before I saw the missiles streak towards the Vulture and impact the bow of the ship. It was still operational and the direction of the missiles gave me an idea of where the attacks were coming from. Wardog formed on me and we set off in the direction the missiles came from. Sure enough, there were three enemy F-35s flying towards the fleet. Swordsman zoomed past us to try and get the first kill but they scattered when they saw him. _This glory hound just ruined our element of surprise. _I wanted to try and lock onto the enemy fighters with my Sparrow missiles but with the enemy formation braking formation, there was no way the missiles would successfully track.

I engaged the flight lead and followed him into sharp split S. When he pulled out of the maneuver, he applied full throttle and stated to climb. I was so focused on him that I didn't see one of his wingmen following me. Kei quickly swung in behind my pursuer and sent a missile into the midsection of the aircraft so that I could continue my pursuit. He tried everything to lose me but none of it worked until he used my favorite maneuver against me. He was in perfect position to shoot me down, but my fear was short lived when I saw him break off and head for the fleet. I couldn't think about how extremely stupid this enemy pilot was as I turned to engage him. The enemy plane was directly in my sights and as I squeezed the trigger, Captain Snow swooped in out of nowhere to steal the kill. He was lucky that my bullets didn't hit him. The enemy F-35 tumbled out of the air in flames and disappeared into the fog below. My team formed up on me and Captain Snow fell into position behind me.

"Nice work Wardog, "said Captain Snow.

I wanted to scold this guy for his reckless flying and I wanted to beat the shit out of him for endangering my team, but my hands were tied. Thunderhead confirmed that the picture was clear and then told us to return above the carriers and wait for the tanker airplane. I wasn't in any rush to get back into formation so I lazily led the others back towards the fleet. Captain Snow held his position behind us while the remaining allied fighters sped back towards their carriers. I was pissed off about this attack because it was supposed to be an easy job. _How did the Yukes know when to attack? _ I didn't have much time to think about it because Thunderhead's sudden warning of an incoming ballistic missile had snapped me back to reality. _Where did they launch that from?_ I looked ahead to where the carriers were and waited for something to happen. Suddenly, the sky lit up into large, multiple balls of blinding white light that enveloped the whole task force._ No way! How did they get their hands on that?_ Frantic calls over the radio started asking what happened and others saying that the Vulture was sinking.

"What the hell was that attack?" asked Chopper.

"I don't know, everything below five thousand feet was just annihilated," said Captain Snow.

"Second missile incoming!" said Thunderhead.

"Dammit! Listen up, if you want to survive, climb above five thousand feet before that thing hits. Move it! Kestrel, evasive action," ordered Captain Snow

"What are we gonna do Kid? I'll follow you," said Chopper.

"Climb!" I shouted as I gave my Super Hornet every ounce of power it could muster.

I wasn't sure if Swordsman was right about the altitude estimation so I flew above seven thousand feet just to be safe. Thunderhead started the countdown to impact and I saw friendly aircraft still trying to reach the estimated altitude. They weren't going to make it and I could hear them starting to panic along with the sailors on the remaining ships. I watched as the missile started to detonate and engulf the Buzzard and other smaller ships in a ball of bright light. The explosion looked amazing. I couldn't help but wonder what the impact of one of those detonations must've felt like. Things must've been bad because the radios were erupting with chatter from panicking sailors before their communications ceased. People were spilling off the decks of the ships as they went under. Only the Kestrel had made it through the attack along with Wardog, Captain Snow, and a handful of other allied pilots. The damage to the fleet was unfathomable. There was no way Osea was going to be able to launch a successful counter attack soon enough with its plans now in ruins. Thunderhead reported no more attacks and I dropped down to lower altitude to see the damage up close.

"Two aircraft carriers lost. I can't believe this all that's left of our force," said Grimm.

"We don't have enough fuel to get back to base either," said Chopper.

Thunderhead contacted us saying that the tanker couldn't reach us. He then ordered us to proceed northeast and refuel at Heierlark. I wasn't looking forward to seeing the faces of my former fellow trainees so I was hoping to just refuel and head back to Sand Island.

"Hey, Kid!" yelled Chopper.

"You really should start calling him Captain," said Grimm.

"Forget it; if he's the Captain then I want him to start trash talking like a Captain. Man, I'm missing that voice real bad now"

_Acting like Bartlett isn't going to bring him back._

"He's got us back alive from battle for the second time. As far as I'm concerned he's our Captain now."

"That's right, and I'll never lose my lead plane again, no matter what," said Kei.

I kept quiet the entire way to Heierlark. I wasn't sure how much longer Osea was going to be able to hold out with the beating we were taking so far. Our military had to do something about this new threat that we had encountered today. No one had any idea where those missiles came from and I recognized them from before. An explosion like that was enough to wipe out a landing force, but multiple explosions like that were enough to destroy an entire ask force. Hopefully our military could come up some kind of defense against those missiles. More importantly, we had to find a way to eliminate the threat permanently.


	6. The Bird of Peace

**Chapter 5 – The Bird of Peace**

**September 30, 2010 1929hrs Aurick Bay**

We were flying over Aurick Bay headed for Heierlark. I honestly thought Chopper would've been talking. Whether it was swearing up a storm at me or talking about random shit, I honestly didn't want to fly in total silence. It was five minutes later when Kei and Grimm broke the silence by talking about the craters the Belkan nukes left behind from the last war. I never fully understood the reason behind the war let alone this current war.

"It's sad to think that a country's government could do that to their people," said Kei

"I thought that war would be a thing of the past after all of that," said Grimm.

_War is in our nature, humans don't need a reason to fight each other._

"War will always exist, Grimm. As much as we want it to end, somebody somewhere looks for a fight. Hell, Kid could look at me the wrong way and I'll get the urge to beat the shit out of him," interrupted Chopper.

_What the hell is your problem with me Davenport? I just might look at you the wrong way just so I could kick your ass._

"Chopper, what is your problem?" said Kei.

Chopper didn't respond and I was glad that when I heard him cut off his mic. We could finally continue the rest of the flight in peace and I could enjoy flying at my favorite time of day. That hope of mine was short lived as we got closer to Heierlark due to a snow storm that started to blow over.

**2007hrs Heierlark AFB**

We landed our F-18s and taxied towards the hangers. The ground crews swarmed all around us as soon as we cut off our engines and got out. Master Sergeant Russell was the first familiar face I saw when I got into the hanger.

"You know, I heard you were coming but I honestly thought the brass was screwing with us," said Russell.

"Nice to see you too Russell, I bet Major Pesi will be happy to see me," I said sarcastically.

I saw Russell's smile vanish as he started to look down at the ground in front of me. Kei walked up to us just in time to hear that Major Pesi was KIA over the Ceres ocean while shooting down enemy bombers headed for a major allied military harbor on the west coast. The remaining nuggets from Kei and I's class were already deployed all over the west coast. The only remaining pilots on the base were nuggets that were far less experienced then the others of my class.

Word got around that my squad was on the base all the nuggets were rushing towards the rec room to hear about our combat sorties. Apparently, Genette's news article about us made it here faster than we did. I found it strange that we were already gaining notoriety among the people of Osea. Chopper joked that if we drew more attention to ourselves, then the Yukes would put a price on our heads. Even if it was a joke, I still didn't like the thought of it. Wardog was already the most experienced squadron of the war and a lot was riding on us.

The nuggets gathered around us in the rec room as Chopper went on and on about what we've done in the last couple of weeks. Chopper made himself seem like a bigger loud mouth than he already was. Grimm and Kei could only smile and shake their heads, while I stood in the corner watching these gullible nuggets take it all in.

After Chopper was done, we relaxed amongst the nuggets in the rec room. They had gotten a piano put in after we had left and I sat down behind it and played some lounge music on it. A snow storm going on outside, a fire in the fireplace and almost everyone drinking coffee had such a great feeling in the room that my piano playing just added to the mood.

"I didn't know you could play the piano," said Kei.

"Yeah, this is just one of my many talents," I said.

"Oh? What other talents do you have that I don't know about?"

"Well I know four different styles of hand to hand combat. Five if you include the hand to hand you learn in basic. I know pi to thirty four places, I also love composing various kinds of music on my laptop, mostly orchestral, and I know how to say the alphabet backwards."

She gave me a surprised confused look as I told her my last talent, though I'm not sure that I should call it a talent. I just got bored in algebra one day when I was in high school and kept typing it in with my graphing calculator until I memorized it.

"Wow, I didn't know you did any of that. I'm actually impressed," said Kei.

I could only blush and continue playing the piano. I had a feeling that I was getting somewhere with Kei. I leaned my head on her shoulder as she sat next to me on the piano bench and she leaned her head on mine. The moment was interrupted when Master Sergeant Russell pulled me aside to tell me what the brass wants to do with the nuggets, and what our next mission.

**September 31, 2010 0751hrs McNealy AFB**

We were approaching McNealy AFB with all the nuggets from Heierlark. It had been almost two hours since we left. We were ordered to take the nuggets to bases along the west coast so they could help with the air defense effort. These nuggets didn't have nearly enough flight time to perform mid-air refueling so we had to land at every base along the way.

"Man, we better thank Pops for this," said Chopper.

"Why's that," asked Grimm.

"'Cause he's the guy that pounded basic fighter maneuvers into us, now we can lord it over all these guys,"

_Glad to see you finally mellowed out, Chopper._

**October 3, 2010**

I woke up later than usual and I had to drag myself out of bed because I didn't want to deal with the nuggets today. We stayed at McNealy for a couple days teaching the nuggets what we learned from our instructors. They were very slow to learn and that's what worried me the most. This war had me yelling at them and telling them that they had to learn fast or die. I wasn't normally like this but I just wanted to give these nuggets some kind of preparation. I found myself becoming a little like Captain Bartlett. I also found it strange that we were ordered to fly here for a special assignment that was given to Wardog but we didn't know anything about, until today.

When we got to the briefing room, we sat down and one of the majors in the room started our briefing. Our mission was to fly towards the Basset Space Center and protect the launch facility as they continued their launch preparations for an SSTO craft that was supposed to transport laser cannon into space so it could be installed into the Arkbird. Radar detected enemy aircraft en route towards the space center and we all knew that they weren't there to make nice in anyway. The base commander stepped in and told us that he didn't want the nuggets flying with us because they were just kids. I think his reason for grounding them was way different. He knew we needed all of them to defend the west coast.

We sat in the hangers while the ground crews finished refueling and rearming our planes with various air to air and air to ground weapons. I saw Kei sitting by herself away from me, Chopper, and Grimm.

"Something's bothering her, Kid, you should go talk to her," said Chopper.

"Why me?" I asked.

"Because you're her boyfriend"

"What? No I'm not"

"Really now, what was all that business I saw with you two in the rec room last night?"

"None of your damn business"

"Come on Kid, I'm not an idiot, there's something going on with you two, isn't there?"

"Why do you assume that?"

"Kid, I studied psychology in college, this isn't something that I would assume without some kind of evidence, either way if you two ain't an item yet you should still talk to her because you seem to get through to her better than me or Grimm."

I gave Chopper an annoyed look and realized he was right. "Alright fine, I'll talk to her," I said and started to walk over to Kei.

"Told you I could get him to do it," said Chopper softly to Grimm. I looked back and saw Grimm frown as he slapped a twenty dollar bill in Chopper's hand.

_That sly bastard!_ I thought as I approached Kei and stood next to her.

"Hey, everything alright," I asked.

"Just thinking about things, you don't need to worry about it. It won't affect my flying any," she said softly.

"Okay, now I'm worried about your flying being affected, what's wrong?"

Kei looked at the ground for a moment and then looked at me. There was sadness in her eyes, but she wasn't crying.

"The Arkbird," she said softly.

"What about it," I asked.

"I remembered when my mother was selected as the head of the project. She would take me along at times to watch how its construction would progress. My mom even took me to watch it lift off into space when it was finished. It was a combined effort between Yuktobania and Osea to show that they could work together in peace to benefit the both of them."

"So, you're thinking about how ironic all of this is?" I said softly.

She nodded and looked at the sky. "Using the Arkbird for war just seems like a huge step backwards. I wanted to see it complete its mission."

I didn't know what to say, but before anything could come to mind we had to head to our planes and launch. I still didn't know what to say to Kei on the entire way there. Chopper's rambling about how that the war would be over sooner with all of these super weapons showing up everywhere, didn't help the mood at all. His logic about them was flawed, more super weapons would appear and the war would drag on.

**1200hrs Basset Space Center**

We arrived at the space center as Grimm spotted the Arkbird. I really didn't know much about it besides what Kei had told me. I was curious to know what its true purpose was.

"Hey listen, isn't that thing supposed to work like a satellite? Why'd it climb down all this way?" said Chopper.

"It's a maneuverable orbiting space craft," said Grimm.

"I know that. I'm just saying; if the system uses atmospheric friction to change its orbit, then wouldn't that make it pretty hard to defend its self?"

"Hmm… I guess it'd be in trouble if someone started firing at it right now"

"Yeah, so shouldn't it be higher up then?"

I heard someone halt the countdown when they noticed enemy C-130's inbound towards the space center from multiple directions. They were launching an air assault to capture the base. Yuktobania was actually going to invade Osea. This was a hell of a way to escalate the war.

"Airborne tanks dropping from the transport planes, if we shoot the parachutes before the tanks detach, we'll smash them into the ground, you with me?" said Chopper.

"Go ahead," I said.

"I guess we don't have a choice. I can't believe that's our strategy"

"Look I don't care what you do, shoot the transports, shoot the parachutes, or kamikaze into them, just protect the launch facility," I said as I sent a tank plummeting into the ground.

The C-130's were coming in from all directions and in great numbers. More tanks were being dropped and some of them made it to the ground in one piece. I order all weapons free and within minutes, we had used all of our AGM's.

"Edge, secure the north east sector. Chopper cover the northwest and Grimm, take the southwest sector. Try to shoot down those transports before they can drop anymore tanks," I ordered. But as soon as I ordered them to head towards their assigned sectors, the transports stopped coming. Ground control spotted cruise missiles headed for the mass driver.

"Nothing's changed, head to your sectors and don't let any of those things get near the mass driver," I said.

Shooting down the cruise missiles by themselves was bad enough, but trying to shoot down missiles with fighter escorts trying to kill me added a new level of stress that wanted me to just quit. But I couldn't, I had my orders.

As I shot down a missile with my gun, I was locked by a missile. I looked over my left shoulder and saw it streaking towards me. I broke hard left and watched it pass inches away from my canopy. I was being chased by an enemy F-20. I wasn't going to let this bastard get me and stop me from continuing the operation.

I slammed the throttle forward and gained altitude. I watched him follow as I hoped he would, but as I looked back I saw the very familiar shape of a single B-2 stealth bomber. I chopped the throttle and pulled back on the stick which caused my plane to stall and fall towards earth. I had lost my pursuer and I flew towards the B-2. I locked onto it with a sidewinder and fired, but it failed to track when the bomber launched flares. _Dammit, missiles won't work on this guy._ I gained altitude again and dove on the bomber. I opened fire on it with my gun and scored hits on his right side engines. I watched the engines explode which caused the right wing to be blown off entirely.

"I can't shoot them all down," shouted Grimm.

"Wardog, the cruise missiles are being launched by enemy stealth bombers, you have to get a visual if you want to track them," I said.

"Kid is the launch facility safe? I can't tell from here," said Chopper.

I looked towards the mass driver and it appeared okay. "It's still intact from what I see."

"Ah good, I'll continue the operation then"

I applied full throttle and headed for the launch facility. There were still enemy aircraft in the air and I had to thin them out. I was at fifteen hundred feet when I noticed a Tornado diving on me. I snap rolled left, cut power, and watched him fly right past me. He was diving away and was making a run for it. I locked onto him with a sparrow missile and fired. He tried breaking into it and the missile flew into his cockpit and exploded. I looked to my ten o' clock high and saw another Tornado circling over the SSTO. _He's going to attack it!_ I raced towards him and he started his dive. I lined up a shot on him with my gun and fired. My bullets ripped into his left horizontal stabilizer and his plane bucked as he broke off his attack. He tried pulling his plane out of the dive but couldn't do it in time.

"Guys, did you take out those bombers yet?" I shouted.

"I took mine down Captain, now I'm pursuing the remaining missiles it fired," said Grimm.

"I took out mine too, headed back your way blaze," said Kei.

"Chopper, how you doing over there?" I said.

"I got fighters all over my ass over here. They won't let me get near the bomber," said Chopper.

"Alright Edge and Archer, get over there and help him out. I'll stay here and fend off any missiles and remaining fighters"

They acknowledged and broke off to help Chopper. I scanned the sky for enemy fighters and saw that the remaining six Tornados and F-20's had formed a Lufbery circle over me. I was trapped. They would dive on me and I couldn't run in any direction. I had to figure something out, but what? I was as helpless as a fly in a spiders' web.

I looked up to see an F-20 dive on me. His nose was engulfed in flames as he fired his guns at me during his pass at me. A snap roll to the left evaded his attack but put me in position to be attacked from another direction. I rolled to the left again to dodge another attacker that dove on me. One by one, they each took turns trying to shoot me down.

I could feel my right arm going numb and the sweat dripping down my forehead. I couldn't wipe it away because I didn't have the time. I had to keep rolling away from their attacks. At the same time I was worried about all the stress I was putting on my F-18. All this rolling had to be causing a lot of stress on the wings. If I kept it up any longer, I would kill myself. _Fuck the wings, keep rolling!_ I was getting angrier and angrier as they kept up their attacks. I kept doing the same move over and over but they just didn't seem to learn how to adjust their attacks. _That's it, waste all your ammo! I'll knock your ass out of the sky once your weapons are dry! Wait, why should I keep evading such a stupid enemy?_

I rolled away from another enemy pass and chased after him. One of the F-20's broke off and tried to clear me off of his friend's tail, but I knew just how to handle him. I barrel rolled over him and just as I was about to light him up, the sweat from my brow had gotten in my eye. I cursed at my luck and broke off from the chase. I wiped my eyes as quickly as I could before I was attacked again, but it wasn't fast enough. I jumped as I heard the cannon shells of one of the Tornados rip into my right wing. It was light damage but it still scared the crap out of me. I pushed the throttle all the way forward and started my evasive maneuvers. All six of them stuck to me like glue.

I had to do something, my hornet could only do so much and it wasn't as maneuverable as some of the generation four aircraft I could've chose to fly. I had to fool all of them and once. I could try and fly in between and around the legs of the mass driver, but if they crashed into them; it would cause more damage and cause it to collapse. I had to use some of the clouds that were scattered all over the sky.

I climbed for the clouds at a near ninety degree angle with cannon shells and missiles narrowly flying past my F-18. _Come on sweetheart, we're almost there. Keep going!_ As soon as I got into one of the clouds, I cut power and leveled off as quickly as I could. I didn't see where my pursuers went so I kept flying straight at eight thousand feet. I relaxed a little, but it didn't last long. I was flying wingtip to wingtip with one of the enemy F-20s. I then took a complete look around and saw I was flying in formation with the other enemy planes. _You got to be kidding me,_ I thought and I rolled my eyes. I swear the enemy pilot saw me as I did that.

I was fed up with all of this. I pulled back on the stick, cut power, and extended my flaps. My F-18's nose went straight up as I entered a half-assed Pugachev's Cobra and stalled. My plane was falling towards the ground backwards. My hands and feet were a frenzy of movement as I quickly turned my plane around and was able to regain control. I had finally lost the enemy planes and made my way back over to the SSTO.

"Guys, what's your status? Did you take care of that last bomber?"

"Yeah, we got it but we're still caught up in this fur ball of enemy fighters," said Kei.

"Alright listen, try and make a break for the launch facility. We still need to protect it."

I kept a look out for those enemy fighters that tried to bounce me. I saw a straggling F-20 to my two o' clock high and I double checked to make sure he was alone. As soon as I saw I was clear, I gave my F-18 full power and rose up to meet him. It was the easiest kill I had gotten all day and I knew the other enemy planes would've seen the flaming wreckage fall out of the sky. I was about to gain more altitude until I saw two more enemy Tornados flying side by side. _I wonder if this will work._ I lined up behind and to the right of one of them and dove at full speed. _I have to time this just right. _

I was coming in at a seventy-five degree angle and was four hundred yards behind them when I applied full power. As I streaked past the two enemy fighters, I watched the one I flew closest by buck uncontrollably and slam into his wingman. _It worked!_ As I flew past them, I was traveling at Mach one and the sonic boom had knocked the one of the fighters into the other. _Sweet!_

"Ground control, how much longer until that thing is ready to launch?" I yelled.

"Four minutes, we're almost there," they responded.

I saw the rest of my team headed towards the launch facility with five enemies following close behind. They didn't see me yet so I swung around into a wide right turn and got behind the five pursuing enemies. I locked onto them with my remaining sparrow missiles and fired. They didn't know where the attack was coming from and they couldn't get out of the way in time. I locked onto another fighter and fired my last sidewinder and turned to shoot down the last fighter with my gun. I had shot down five enemies within seconds of each other.

"Damn Kid where the hell did you come from" asked Chopper.

"You miss me," I asked as I rolled over Choppers plane and took the lead. "We still got enemy fighters over the airspace. I want it clear for the SSTO when it takes off."

Chopper and Grimm broke off to cover the western sector while I lead Edge to cover the west. There weren't that many enemy fighters left when I started to question the enemy's presence at the space center. Either the Yukes had a well-placed spy in our ranks or the brass can't keep their damn mouths shut.

"Just one minute to go! Wait! Radar is picking up a single enemy aircraft approaching from the north," said ground control.

"Kid, Grimm and I are too tied up to intercept him, can you or Nagase get him?" said Chopper.

"Edge, on me we're going after him," I said.

We were in visual range of the enemy plane. It was a black MiG 1.44 with no markings. Kei and I were closing in on him when he started his evasive maneuvers. His pane had every advantage in maneuverability, speed, and stealth compared to our Super Hornets. Kei and I were having a hard time keeping up with him.

He leveled off and Kei lined up a shot, but she wasn't fast enough. The MiG launched a cruise missile then did a Super Kulbit over me and Kei. Time seemed to slow down as he flipped over us and I could see him looking at me. It was him. Those green eyes were still dogging me after all this time. I wanted to reverse my direction and go after him, but I couldn't. As soon as he came out of his maneuver, he filled my right engine with lead and broke off.

"Dammit, I'm hit. Edge, take out that missile," I said.

"Blaze…"

"I'm alright, go!"

I watched as she sped off. I could hear ground control tracking the SSTO launch and I did an in-flight check to make sure I could make it back to McNealy. My caution light was blaring and it wouldn't shut up. Everything was functioning normally, but it wouldn't stay that way for long. I had to land my bird soon or it would end up being my coffin.

"Mass Driver hit by cruise missile," shouted ground control.

I looked in the direction of the mass driver and saw the SSTO shoot into the sky. If I hadn't seen it launch, I would've chewed out Kei for failing to stop that cruise missile. I could hear the ground crew cheering as they confirmed the SSTO launch. I ordered everyone to form up and head back to McNealy so we could finally get back to Sand Island.

"Hey Kid, why are you trailing smoke," asked Chopper.

"The asshole that launched that cruise missile juked out me and Kei and got a shot off on me. Can you check and see how bad it is?"

"Well it doesn't look like you're leaking any fluids. But just to be safe, we should get you out of the air ASAP."

My thoughts exactly.


	7. Frontline

**Chapter 6 – Frontline**

**October 3, 2010 1521hrs McNealy AFB**

"Blaze, get your speed up," shouted Kei.

"My throttle is maxed out; I can't get any more speed out of my bird. Make sure the ground crews are ready for whatever happens," I said.

"Then eject! Screw what happens to your plane, just bailout"

"Kid, you're too young to be a smoking hole in the ground," said Chopper.

"Relax, okay! I'll be fine," I said in a calm voice. _Dear God, please let what little luck I have left hold out!_

I couldn't tell her that my ejection seat took a hit and it wasn't working. I knew she would never forgive herself if I died so I had to survive this crash landing or else I would be turning over in my grave because of the guilt I made her live with. I couldn't stand the thought of it I had to make it.

My altitude and speed were dropping fast and I had to at least make it onto the runway. I went through my landing check and my hopes were lifted when I heard my landing gear extend. _I'm coming in too low, but I need speed to gain some altitude. I could use my flaps but it would take way the speed that I need to make it, I had to try though._

I lowered my flaps and was able to maintain a good height for a little bit before I started falling again. I raised my flaps to pick up a little speed and I lowered them to maintain altitude. I repeated this process multiple times until I was at the edge of the run way, but I was losing altitude too fast.

I felt my wheels make contact with the ground, and then I felt the tires blow. I tensed up and closed my eyes waiting for all of it to end. It was the most agonizing ten seconds of my life so far. My F-18 came to a full stop just seconds after the front landing gear collapsed completely. I didn't waste any time unstrapping myself and jumping out of my plane. I didn't know if it was going to explode or not but I hauled ass as far away from it as I could. It didn't explode.

The fire control team and paramedics rushed over to where I was and got everything squared away so the rest of Wardog could land. I waited over by the hangers until I saw my teams' planes taxi over my location. Kei was the first person I saw to get out of her plane. She was coming towards me while removing all of her flight gear. She had an angry look in her eyes and I could see what was coming. _I have to remember she's a girl._

As soon as she was close enough, she threw a punch which I quickly deflected. She wasn't expecting me to do that, but I knew it was coming. She tried throwing another series of punches and I dodged or deflected all of them. I wanted to ask her what her deal was, but she just kept coming at me. I finally caught her right arm and she tried to elbow me in the head with her left. I caught that arm too and put her in a full nelson.

"What is your problem?" I shouted.

She responded by flinging her right leg up and over her shoulder and kicking me in the head. I staggered backwards and saw Kei spin around to try and round house kick me. I ducked and tackled her to the ground. She was able to get on her back but I was able to pin her arms and legs on the ground.

"Kei, I'm not going to let go until you tell me what the hell is wrong with you."

She was struggling to get loose and I could only look at her face as she tried. I finally saw tears in her eyes as she gradually stopped struggling. She was crying and I had no idea why. I let go of her arms and got off her legs and held her head in my hands.

"Why are you acting like this," I asked softly as I looked into her eyes.

It took her a moment to answer me. "Because I almost lost another flight lead today, you almost got shot down today and it's my fault. I should've protected you from that guy."

"Maybe it is your fault," said Chopper. I hadn't notice that he and Grimm were watching.

Kei pushed me off of her and got up off the ground. She was walking around in disbelief at what Chopper had said. I was about to get up and go off on Chopper and tell him he was wrong, but Kei beat me to the punch.

"Chopper, you didn't see how the guy flew. You didn't see what kind of plane he was flying and you sure as hell didn't see how he was able to damage Antonio's plane. Antonio could've bailed out at any point but he chose to crash land his plane. So how is any of this my fault? It's not my fault!" shouted Kei.

She turned her back to Chopper, wiped the tears from her eyes, and looked at the ground. I looked at Chopper realizing what he made her say. I took Kei even longer to realize what she said.

"It's not my fault," said Kei. She looked up at Chopper and said it again. And then she looked at me. She was still mad at me.

"Why didn't you just bail out?"

"Because I still need my plane to get back to Sand Island," I said. I couldn't bring myself to tell her the truth because I didn't want her to worry any more than she already did. "And beside even if I did bailout, it's not like the base commander here to give me another plane just like that."

"But still, you wouldn't have had to risk your life like that," said Kei.

"Well not that me and Grimm didn't enjoy the show, we'll be going now, so have fun you two," said Chopper and he left with Grimm.

I could still see that Kei was mad at me but she understood my argument. I was glad we were able to calm her down. Chopper was right; I was the only person who was able to get through to her, but why me of all people? Was I that special to her? _I guess I'd better find out._

"Kei, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Do you feel guilty about what happened to Captain Bartlett?"

I could see that she didn't want to answer that question, but I had to know. I wanted to trust her fully, but after all this, I was on the fence about trusting her. Kei sat down next to me before she finally replied.

"I honestly do," she said. "If I hadn't been so careless, then maybe he'd still be here. The worst part is that I don't know if he's dead or alive. I should've been shot down that day instead of the Captain."

"Did you make me the flight lead because you felt like you were going to get me and Chopper killed? Or was it because you felt so guilty about the Captain getting shot down that you felt like you had to make it up to him?"

Kei looked away for a moment and then looked back at me. "It should've been me."

"It wouldn't have mattered if you were in his place right now. He already had the deaths of eight other people on his hands and adding you to that list wouldn't have made him feel any better. I know it sounds cold when I say this, but if I had to choose between you or Bartlett being here, I would've chosen you," I said.

"Why would you want me here? The Captain is a better pilot than I am."

"Being a better pilot has nothing to do with it," I said. I needed to be careful with my words or she'd get the wrong idea. "Remember when I said that we were in this together?"

Kei nodded and looked at me as if she knew where this was going.

"You've saved me as many times as I've saved yours. We look out for each other, but at times we have to figure things out by ourselves. When you made me the flight lead, I had no idea what I was doing and I just had to wing it, but we still watched out for each other. Believe me when I tell you this, that's not going to change any time soon," I said.

I stood up and extended my hand out to her to help Kei off the floor. She gently smiled, swung her leg around and swept me off my feet. As soon as I hit the ground, she pinned me to the floor.

"I think I found my blue dove," said Kei and she kissed me.

I could only look at her, thinking about this could be a bad idea, and the look on my face didn't help me hide it. As much as I wanted this, I was afraid of losing her, or her losing me.

"What's wrong?" asked Kei.

I didn't want to tell her, but I had to. I couldn't keep feelings like that bottled up inside me for long and eventually she would've found out. Apart from that, there were regulations against this and I knew Colonel Perrault would jump on this if he ever found out, but I couldn't give a rat's ass about that.

I could see that I was getting my point across as soon as I saw Kei's happy expression fade away. She got off of me and stood with her back towards me. She cradled her arms with one of her hand covering her mouth. I could see that Kei was deep in thought, trying to counter my argument, but she couldn't think of anything.

"You're right, anything could happen to one of us," said Kei and she turned to walk away.

_Time to make my move,_ I ran up behind Kei and tripped her on purpose. As she fell, she turned and tried grabbing for anything to break her fall. I caught her just inches from the ground and she had her arms around my neck. The few seconds that I held her seemed like an eternity. I looked deep into her eyes before I finally told her what was on my mind.

"I care for you too much to lose you Kei. That's why I promise that I'll make damn sure I don't," I said.

She couldn't say or do anything except pull me closer for another kiss. We were officially dating now; the only catch was that we had to keep it to ourselves.

**2022hrs**

The ground crews work feverishly to repair my plane while my team was lounging around in one of the other hangers. I was amazed it took about five hours to a replace the engine and front landing gear. They couldn't patch the bullet holes but I really didn't care. As long as it got me back to Sand Island in one piece, then I was alright with it.

"Holy hell, I didn't think that these guys could fix an F-18 that quickly," said Chopper.

"Well, either they want us gone because they hate us or Sand Island needs us back ASAP, sir," said Grimm.

"Yeah, those guys couldn't last a day without us. I wouldn't be surprised if Sand Island was already over run"

"Yeah, God knows what they already did with Chopper's remaining Rock 'n' Roll records," I said.

Chopper Jumped up and ran towards the mechanics. We could hear him yelling at them to hurry up and that we had to leave ASAP because it was a matter of vital importance. I must have hit a nerve when I mentioned his records being messed with. We could only watch as they tried to get Chopper to calm down, but to no avail.

"Hey Kid, they said your planes good to go. Get the nuggets and let's get the hell back to Sand Island," he shouted.

We took off and headed for Sand Island late into the night and didn't arrive back until 2204hrs. I was exhausted and I wanted nothing more than to go to sleep, but that had to wait because Colonel Perrault wanted to see me, a_s if I want to hear what this fat tub of lard has to say me._

I proceeded to Perrault's office and presented myself. I hated even looking at the guy because he annoyed me that much. I still couldn't stop thinking about how this guy was still in the military. I would've kicked his ass out a long time ago because I doubt that he could run three miles in under twenty-three minutes or do the minimum three pull ups. Hell, I doubt he could get his forearms to touch his thighs when he had to do his one hundred crunches. I could've insulted this guy forever but that wouldn't get me anywhere.

"I bet you're wondering why I've called you here Captain," said Perrault.

"No sir"

He looked at me like I was one smartass remark away from being discharged. He stood up and started walking around his office with his hands behind his back. _Oh look he doesn't waddle._

"Well I'll enlighten you with why I called you here. Those rookie pilots you brought back with you are as green as they come and I bet you'd agree that they need more flight training to actually become combat ready, am I right?"

"Yes sir"

"Well, since you feel so strongly about it, we'll have to do something about that," said Perrault. He started to walk around me as he continued talking. "Starting tomorrow, you and your team are going to start training them. Their lives are your responsibility and if they end up like the other nuggets that Bartlett was responsible for, then I know that you're not fit to lead a squadron and you will be relived of your command."

I wasn't even qualified to be a flight instructor, but I knew Perrault didn't care. The more he tried throwing me under the bus, the more I realized how much of a dumbass this guy was. Wardog was the primary squadron for Sand Island now and he was trying hard to get us killed.

"Am I making myself clear Castillo?" he said in my ear.

I turned and glared at him. "Crystal," I said and left his office.

I returned to my dorm and already found that Kei was asleep. If I tried climbing into my bunk, I would've woken her up, so I decided to sleep on the couch. I don't know if I was just tired or the couch was just that comfortable, but it was the best sleep I had in a long time.

**October 4, 2010 0630hrs Sand Island AFB**

I woke up an hour later than usual and started my morning routine. While I was on my run, I couldn't help but notice that the morning just seemed off. There was a haze everywhere and the sun didn't seem to shine as brightly as usual. The water in the showers, the shaving cream on my face, and even the food at breakfast just seemed weird. I wasn't the only one who felt that way either.

"I can't help but feel like something bad is about to happen," said Grimm as he picked at his food.

"Okay we get it; we all have a bad feeling about today. Is there anything we should know about today, Kid?" said Chopper.

"Perrault wants us to continue training the nuggets today. I don't think I should though, I'm not even a qualified instructor," I said.

"I think you'd make a good instructor Kid, how else would you become a great pilot if you didn't pick up on things so fast?"

"Believe it or not, I learned how to fly from reading books, playing flight simulator video games, and watching airplane movies. While we were at Heierlark, I tried learning how to fly by listening to the instructors but I couldn't do it," I told them. "What do you think makes you such a good pilot, Chopper?"

"I guess it has a lot to do with quick thinking on my part. I guess I think about what I would do if I were the enemy pilot. It keeps me a step ahead of them I guess."

"I'm surprised you don't tell them what you're going to do next with all that talking you do," said Kei.

"Alright you little smartass, what do you think makes you a good pilot?" said Chopper.

Kei took a bite of toast and chewed it thoughtfully for a bit before she answered.

"I don't know. Maybe I'm trying to be like Mobius 1. I'll never forget how he flew,"

"Wait you've seen Mobius 1 fly?" interrupted Chopper.

Kei nodded and proceeded to tell the same story she told me. Chopper and Grimm were in awe as Kei told them how he flew against twenty enemy planes by himself.

"He flew so gracefully like he knew where they were coming from. He would dodge one attack then set himself up to attack another enemy," continued Kei. "I would've loved to fly with him one day."

"I bet we all would, ma'am," said Grimm, and they all nodded.

"So what about you Grimm, what do you think makes you a good pilot?" I asked.

"You think I'm a good pilot, sir?" he asked

"Grimm, everyone saw how well you did on your first day in the squadron, except not everyone hated you like they did Kei and me," I said.

Grimm's expression seemed like he didn't want to tell us, but he did. I honestly expected his answer from Kei but at least he's better at it than I am so he's got me there.

"I think of my flying as if dancing," said Grimm nervously. "I mean, I watch my opponent and I move with him."

"Jeez Grimm, if you can dance, you're better at something than we are," I said and we all chuckled at that.

Our conversation was interrupted by an announcement that all base personnel had to report to the briefing room right away. My team and I didn't think that much of it so we finished eating and then headed to the briefing room. Everyone was already there and waiting for us before Perrault started talking.

"You people are like the plague, you know that?" said Colonel Perrault as we took out seats. "The moment you return to Sand Island, this happens."

Sand Island was about to be invaded by a large Yuktobanian strike force and we didn't have the enough resources or man power to push them back. The nuggets would be a great help if they came with us but it's too dangerous to bring them along. The other Marines and security teams on the base could hold off the landing forces for a short time but they'd be overrun if Wardog didn't take out their reinforcements. We were stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"Even if this turns into a ground war, I'm prepared to fight for this base to the bitter end. As my advanced guard, I want you to forget everything else and concentrate on dealing a lethal blow to the incoming enemy invasion fleet. We'll be deploying everything we got. Launch every aircraft capable of anti-ship combat, regardless of combat experience," ordered Perrault.

I couldn't believe he was ordering the nuggets to fight, but at the same time I was glad we would have help. We lead the nuggets to the hangers and was about to assign them planes when I remembered they didn't have any experience flying any other type of plane, so they had to stick with their F-5's. I wish I could've picked their plane but I probably would've gotten them killed faster.

"So Captain, any idea what kind of planes we should use?" asked Grimm.

"I really want us all to use hornets but mine its already damaged and I know we'll be facing a lot of AA fire, so I really want to use the A-10's because of their survivability. The only down side is that they don't have the capability to carry anti-ship missiles. Only the F-16, F-18, and A-6 can carry them."

"Well think of it like this Kid, the A-10's survivability will allow us to take a beating but we can use that advantage to tear the ships apart with the 30mm when we get close, or we could use out armaments to take care of any ships other than frigates or destroyers. If you do want to use the A-10 I think we should take two of them and two Super Hornets, that way you can hit the ships at long range without exposing yourselves to enemy AA," said Chopper.

"Exactly, Kei, we'll take the hornets. Chopper, Grimm, take the A-10's and tell the ground crews to arm them with eight mavericks, three bombs, two sidewinders, and an ECM pod on each of your planes. Kei, arm yours with four harpoons, two sidewinder, and four sparrow missiles."

"But Captain, won't we stress the airframes of our planes with that much ordinance?" asked Grimm.

"I don't think we'll have them on our planes long enough for that to happen. Alright, get to it guys," I said.

I went and told the ground crews how I wanted the nugget's planes fitted and got ready. Pops did one hell of a job getting everything coordinated. Our planes were ready to go in just under ten minutes. I guess that bad feeling we all had this morning had been right.

**1007hrs, 10 miles west of Sand Island**

We arrive on station and armed all of our weapons. I didn't want the eight nuggets with us, but we needed them.

"This is AWACS Thunderhead, all units listen carefully,"

_Crap, when did this guy become involved in this operation?_

"Ahh, I missed that sweet voice. Say, you get that from your mama's side of the family?" said Chopper sarcastically.

"Cut the Chatter! First enemy wave, bearing 280 degrees, you are clear to engage on sight," said Thunderhead.

"If we make it back, there's something I want to ask you, if that's alright," said one of the nuggets.

"With an attitude like that you might as well ask me now," I said.

"Do you all ever get scared, Captain?" he said.

"Bro, if anyone ever said that they weren't scared when they go into battle, they're either lying or they're dead. So yeah, I'm scared," I said.

"I see, you're just like us then," said the nugget.

We got within visual range of the landing forces and I ordered Wardog to disperse and take two of the nuggets with each of them. I was paired with Beamer and Spike, I didn't know their real names and I thought it was better that way.

"It's too risky to bring the nuggets here," said Kei.

"I'm with you on that, you agree Kid?" said Chopper.

"Yeah, but we can't do this on our own, just stop those enemy forces," I said.

I could see that Chopper and Grimm were making short work of the lighter ships and attack helicopters. The nuggets were trailing close behind trying to stay out of trouble. Kei was already making use of the two nuggets that were following her. They helped her sink two frigates that were firing towards Sand Island.

"This is Sand Island base defense! Enemy amphibious forces intercepted at the coast line!"

"Alright, Beamer, Spike, we're going to attack that frigate directly ahead. Watch your approach angle and don't slam into it alright?" I said and they acknowledged.

I fired a harpoon missile and the nuggets followed up by dropping bombs onto the ship and we repeated this process again until we heard the defense forces tell us the coastline was under heavy enemy attack.

"I know, I know, all units this is Colonel Perrault, do everything in your power to stop them. If you can't protect this island, what'll you tell our great heroes in the sky?"

"So hey, if the enemy wins here what happens to us?" asked Chopper.

"Let's hope we don't find out," I said.

"Missile fired from enemy sub," shouted Kei.

_Oh my God, no!_

"Get out of there Grimm, you nuggets too."

"Climb, climb come on!" yelled Chopper.

"You hear me nuggets, you have to climb!"

"Pull up, everyone get your asses above five thousand feet," I shouted.

We all climbed for altitude, but the nuggets were having trouble reaching five thousand feet. We continued shouting at them to gain altitude while Thunderhead confirmed it was the same kind of burst missile we saw four days ago.

"We're getting a command override from somewhere. 'Data link to A-Sat targeting system…' What is this?" said Thunderhead.

_Wait, could it really be?_ I put my F-18 into a dive and headed straight for one of the destroyers.

"Kid, what the hell are you doing?" shouted Chopper.

I didn't answer him and continued my attack run on the destroyer. I let another Harpoon missile off the rail and watched it strike a hole in the side of the destroyer. I followed up by firing my gun at the hole and watched as the ship exploded from the inside. I pulled away and looked for another ship while the rest of my team continued to yell at me to gain altitude and as Thunderhead continued his countdown of the missile impact.

_Please God let me be right about this!_ I looked up and could see the missile dropping out of the sky. It was going to land too close to me. All of a sudden, I saw a beam of light streak out of the sky and destroy the missile. _Oh thank God I was right._

"What was that? Did you see that Kid?" asked Chopper.

"How could I not see that?" I said sarcastically.

"Was that the Arkbird?" asked Kei.

"It's the Arkbird, we've got the Arkbird. All units continue engaging the enemy," said Thunderhead.

We rejoined into attack formations and started sinking more of the ships. Enemy fighters were also inbound so I ordered mine and Kei's nuggets to join Grimm and Chopper while Kei and I provided top cover for them.

"Edge, take the lead, I'll watch your back," I said.

I followed Kei as she latched onto an enemy fighter and shot him down. She didn't waste any time finding another target to follow. This was the most aggressive flying I've seen from her so far. Maybe it was because she was trying to protect the nuggets or maybe it was because she knew the gravity of the situation Sand Island was in.

"This is the anti-sub plane Blue Hound. Submarine detected by sonobuoy. Sound pattern analysis produces a match with the Scinfaxi. Detecting sounds from Scinfaxi indicating imminent missile launch."

"Arkbird, we'll send the data over as soon as we detect the missile launch. We're counting on you," said Thunderhead.

I saw the missile shoot out of the water further west. The Scinfaxi was in our AO. Thunderhead and Arkbird were communicating back and forth trying to destroy the missile before it hit, while my team and the nuggets continued destroying the enemy forces. We were almost done.

"Arkbird, firing laser," said Thunderhead.

The missile was destroyed in mid-air again. I couldn't help but feel a little invincible knowing that those missiles couldn't touch us

"I'm gonna make it, I'm gonna get out of this alive. I know it," said a nugget.

_You still got a lot to worry about before you make it back, kid._ I didn't want to think like that but the thoughts just came anyways. The Yukes weren't stupid and they would soon come up with something to counter the Arkbird's laser.

The skies were clear of enemy fighter and Kei and I joined Chopper and Grimm. There were only a couple enemy ships left but they still posed some kind of threat. Even I took a couple hits when I was going in for an attack.

"Oh no, they're launching more missile. Number three, number four, number five!" said Blue Hound.

"There's too many," shouted Grimm.

_Shit!_ "Attention all nuggets, get above five thousand feet, now!" I ordered.

"But Captain the Arkbird will shoot the missiles down right?" asked Beamer.

"I don't want you getting caught in the blast if the Arkbird can't shoot them down in time. Now move!"

The Arkbird was able to shoot down two of the missiles but it wasn't fast enough to track the third.

"Come on Arkbird, use your laser. The nuggets are going to get killed," cried Kei.

The nuggets were still clawing for altitude. I didn't understand. I was able to reach that height with no problem when I flew my F-5, but why were these nuggets having trouble with it?

"Dammit, they're not going to make it," said Chopper, but Kei wasn't about to stop yelling at them.

"Come on nuggets climb. Move it!"

I heard Thunderhead begin the countdown of the missile impact and the cries for help from the nuggets. I couldn't bear to look; I even turned off my headset so I couldn't hear them beg for their lives. When I finally opened my eyes, I saw the burst missile explosion fade away. How could someone use weapons like this with no remorse?

Kei pulled up beside me and asked me if my radio was working, using hand signals. I turned my headset back on and continued the operation. I wanted the bastards who launched those missiles dead, and I was caught up in blood lust.

"We can't deal with the enemy fleet like this," said Thunderhead.

"This is Sand Island base defense, intense fighting along the coastline! We can't hold out much longer!"

"We have no choice, just weave through the missiles and continue attacking the ships," said Thunderhead.

"Oh yeah, just weave through the missiles? What are you, nuts?" yelled Chopper.

More fighters were coming towards us and the remaining enemy forces were regaining their momentum. I peeled away from Kei and dove into the formation of enemy fighters. I don't remember how many I shot down, but I know I was just cutting them down like they were nothing. I wasn't even giving them the chance to escape.

Arkbird requested a new sonobuoy data link from Blue Hound while I went on my rampage and I didn't notice what they were up to until they fired a laser beam into the ocean. They damaged the Scinfaxi while it was still submerged.

I watched as the Scinfaxi broke the surface. I honestly expected it to look like a standard submarine, only bigger. _So you've finally come out of hiding you piece of shit!_ It was huge. A submarine capable of launching VTOL aircraft and also capable of launching missiles like that was just awesome. I had to put an end to that thing's reign of terror.

I pushed the throttle forward and got within range to fire my remaining harpoon missiles at it. I had to break off my attack when three of the Scinfaxi's fighters tried to jump me from above. _Not this time, you scumbags!_ I pulled back on the throttle, did half of a barrel roll and peeled away. I then reversed my turn and got into a firing position that allowed me target all three of them with my sparrow missiles. I fired and watched as my missiles obliterated the enemy jets.

"Wardog, focus all of your fire power on that sub," I yelled.

"Right behind you, sir," said Grimm as he followed me into an attack run.

I was closing in and it was too late when I noticed the AA defenses the Scinfaxi had. I ordered Grimm to break off and we both did, but I wasn't fast enough. Some of the AA guns scored some hits on the left side of my plane and I took some shrapnel in my left arm.

"Kid you alright?"

I was in pain, but I was still alive. "I'm alright, I took some hits but I'm still good. Be careful what you go in for an attack, that thing has a ton of AA defenses protecting it."

"Alright, me and Grimm will try and soften them up a little, get with Nagase and watch our backs"

I formed up on Kei's right wing and watched as Chopper and Grimm thinned out the AA defenses. They were flying through a hail of bullets and burst missile explosions. I felt bad that they were exposing themselves to all the danger while Kei and I watched over them.

"Kei, do you have any more harpoons left?" I asked.

"I got one left"

"Alright, wait for the missile to go off and then follow me in"

Chopper and Grimm climbed up to avoid another burst missile. The Scinfaxi was dropping these missiles right on top of itself causing more damage. As the missile exploded, I could see the hull of the Scinfaxi start to bend from the intense heat of the explosion.

"Alright Kei, let go," I said and we dove for the deck.

There were only a couple AA guns still firing and no matter where we attacked from, we would take heavy fire. We sped towards the Scinfaxi one hundred feet above the water. The tracers of the AA guns were streaking past our planes. I was focused on sinking that sub and ending the threat of those burst missiles once and for all. I wanted all of those sailors on that thing dead too.

"Blaze, we're taking too much fire. We're not going to make it," shouted Kei.

"Don't worry Nagase, me and Grimm will try and draw its fire," said Chopper as they dove down and strafed the Scinfaxi from the rear.

We were in range and Kei fired her last Harpoon missile and I fired one of my remaining two. The CIWSs of the Scinfaxi, or Close-in Weapon Systems, came to life as they tried to shoot down our missiles before they impacted. I saw my missile explode before it could touch the ship and I saw Kei's impact the starboard side of the sub.

"It's still alive!" shouted Chopper.

"It's like this enemy came straight out of the demon legends. That can't… It can't be!" said Kei.

"Arkbird, we need one more shot on the Scinfaxi. We have to try and destroy it here and now," I said.

"Rodger that, standby"

"Wardog, get clear of the Scinfaxi, incoming attack from the Arkbird is imminent," said Thunderhead.

In a last ditch effort, the Scinfaxi launched its remaining F-35s and Harriers to try and shoot us down. They were coming right for us and I was too angry, too full of rage to ignore them. I turned to engage them and came head on with one of the F-35s. As soon as I had a missile lock, I launched one of my sidewinders and watched it impact the nose of the plane and explode. The pilot's death would've been instantaneous; he wouldn't have felt any pain. I felt like he didn't deserve a quick death, no one on that ship deserved any mercy for what they did. _What's happening to me?_

The remaining fighters scattered in confusion and I shot them down one by one. My left arm was staring to go numb from my wounds and I could hear screaming and voices in my head.

_Don't lose yourself to the temptations evil, Antonio. _

_Come on Castillo; get your ass up and over that wall! _

_He's traumatized and you expect to brain wash him into learning things like this?_

_I know you'll make me proud one day, Antonio._

_No matter what they do to you, you're still human like the rest of us. Don't lose your sight of that._

_Lieutenant Colonel Harkin, please make sure they don't turn my son into a monster._

I remember hearing my mom say that the Lieutenant Colonel once. _We all have our inner demons, mom._ I was brought back to reality when I saw the Arkbird fire its laser into the stern of the Scinfaxi. It left a massive hole and was sitting dead in the water.

"Wardog, hit it with everything you got!" I ordered.

"This is Colonel Perrault, belay that order! It's completely disabled and is no longer a threat. We'll send a boarding party later and capture that ship. Wardog, remain on station and make sure nothing happens to that sub."

_Is this guy for real?_ "Why would we want this thing to be captured?" I asked.

"We'll be able to use the Yuke's own weapons against them and finally have an upper hand in this war," said the Colonel.

"Are you serious? We only have a defense force and you think the president is going to turn it into an army for an all-out war?" said Kei.

"2nd lieutenant Nagase, I suggest you watch your mouth if you don't want to be written up for insubordination."

"How long will it take for a boarding party to get here," asked Grimm.

"I don't know, but if I were the Yukes, I wouldn't wait around to get captured and leave all that valuable Intel for us to use against them, let alone the ship. Hell, I wouldn't let the crew get captured either because eventually someone would tell the interrogation people everything," said Chopper.

He was right. There was no way they were just going to let the sub be captured. _Well I guess I'd better do something about that. _I turned towards the Scinfaxi and lined up to fire my last Harpoon missile.

"Blaze what are you doing?" asked Kei.

"What does it look like," I snapped.

"Kid, you're going to catch hell if you sink that thing," said Chopper.

"Castillo, stand down! That's an order!" shouted Colonel Perrault.

"I'm aware of that"

"Wardog, I don't care if you have to shoot down you're flight lead, but you better not let him sink that ship! You…"

I cut off the radio and continued my attack run on the Scinfaxi. My team was circling above, watching me as I closed in. When I was in range, I launched my last harpoon missile and peeled away. I watched as it flew towards the ship and impacted where the missile launch tube was. It set off a chain reaction and the explosion rocked my plane from two miles away. The Scinfaxi was sinking and it exploded again as it disappeared below the water.


	8. Handful of Hope

**Chapter 7 – Handful of Hope**

**Note: **Some of the information I mention in this chapter I got from Wikipedia, but most of it is just my original ideas (As far as I know of). I really wanted to mention the US and Russia in this fan fiction because I want to do a sequel to this story, but first I have to see what you all think of this one. I hope you're able to understand it and I hope you like it.

**October 4, 2010 1258hrs Sand Island AFB**

We were on our way back to Sand Island and I couldn't help but remember why we were here. By that I don't mean my team being stationed at Sand Island, but everyone on the planet, Strangereal. I remember reading the history about how humanity first discovered this planet back in the 1960's. It was roughly the same size Earth but overall, the same in every way. The same orbital path as Earth, the same ecosystem and atmosphere, hell even the same number of moons. How this planet got the name of Strangereal kinda confused me, but I understood it for the most part.

I also remember reading about the reasons humanity even considered colonizing this planet. With tensions high between the US and the Soviet Union during the cold war, some of the world leaders didn't want to become caught in the middle of all of it, so they turned to one of the superpowers for help with the intentions of colonizing Strangereal soon after it was discovered. The only catch was that any new nation that was formed on the new world had to keep some kind of connection with the superpower that helped them settle on the planet.

I found it amazing how five years after discovering this planet, that the first settlements were already established. Osea was the product of US cooperation; Yuktobania was the result of the Soviet Union's cooperation, and finally Usea was the continent that was settled by a bunch of other countries from Earth who had pooled all their recourses to reach Strangereal.

What was even more amazing was how fast the colonies became flourishing cities and how quickly new countries developed and established governments here. When Osea and Yuktobania were finally able to reach stability in their own government, they both cut all ties to the countries that helped colonize the planet.

I was born in Hawaii and spent my life in the US until I was five. The only reason I was on Strangereal was because my mother was deployed here to help keep a military eye on the development of Osea and she decided to bring the rest of my family along. I was glad when Lieutenant Colonel Harkin was assigned to the same detail. On Osea, I went to school on a US military base and joined the US Marine Corp as an officer once I turned twenty two. When Osea cut all ties to the US, the US's military forces that were on Strangereal were stuck here with no way to get back to Earth, and as a result, we were taken in by the Osean Government. We were all still property of the US government, but just under different authority.

It was funny how the colonials of this planet first came here to escape the threat of being caught up in war, but after almost thirty years, war would find its way here. The Belkan war would be the first real war of Strangereal, and then the Usea conflict would begin nine years later. No one could've seen that predicted that a meteor shower would occur and devastate some countries.

I realized how ironic all of this was when we landed back at Sand Island. I parked my plane in front of a hanger and got out. There's nobody here, where are they? I took a good look at my left arm and noticed a pretty good sized piece of metal sticking out of my forearm just below the elbow. I leaned against my F-18, placed my fingers over the metal fragment, and looked away. _This is gonna hurt!_ I tried to calm down and took a few deep breaths before I pulled it out. I was sweating a lot as yanked the metal piece out of my arm and I grunted in pain as I sank to the ground. There we still some small pieces in my arm but I wasn't as worried about them.

Kei got out of her F-18 and ran towards me when she noticed I was on the ground. She helped me out of the top half of my flight suit and bandaged my wound with her field kit. Chopper and Grimm ran over to me as well trying to help anyway they could.

"Where the hell are the ground crews?" said Chopper.

"Their probably trying to help the defense force mop up the remaining enemy forces," I said weakly.

"How bad do you think it is down here," asked Grimm.

We could still hear gunfire and explosions coming from every direction. The base was protected by reefs on the south and west sides, so it made sense for the invasion force to try and attack from the north.

"Chopper, where would you attack first if you tried to invade this island," I asked.

Chopper was silent for a little bit before he said anything. "Well, the two places I would try to attack first are the docks or the command center. If I took the docks, it would allow for allied ships to start bringing in reinforcements. Why do you ask?"

I didn't say anything right away. I swallowed some pain killers that came with our field kits, got on my feet, pulled out my pistol and chambered a round. "Because that's where I'm headed."

As I started to walk off, Kei, Chopper, and Grimm all started shouting and tried holding me back. I continued to walk towards the east side of the base as they tried to stop me. Chopper tried grabbing me and ended up on the ground when I flipped him over me.

"Antonio, what are you doing? You can't go and help fight the landing forces, you're hurt," said Kei.

"I don't need two arms to pull a trigger."

"That doesn't matter, you still can't go."

"Why not, this place is still under attack and the defense forces need all the help they can get," I said.

"But we're not soldier, we're pilots," said Kei.

"I'm not either of them!" I shouted as I turned towards her. "I'm a Marine. Even if you're not, we're all soldiers by trade. I don't like this war any more than you guys but we have to help our guys out. It's no different than when we're flying." I looked at all three of them and I could see that they were afraid of what might happen to me if I went towards the fight. "I can't bring peace between people who won't listen and I can't save everyone, but I have to try. I'm not just going to wait around here knowing that I could've helped save a life. I'm not asking you to join me; I'm just telling you why I'm going."

They all just stood there while I turned to continue towards the docks. I ran behind the hangers to stay out of the open. As I came upon the last hanger on the flight line I heard a noise from around the corner. I readied my pistol with my right hand and pulled out my KA-BAR with my left hand. It was hard to grip but I held it as tight as I could. My heart was pounding and my thoughts were racing, I had to be quick if it was an enemy. I was about to turn the corner when I heard footsteps behind me. I couldn't turn around in time and I heard a gun cock.

"Don't move, let me see your hands, nice and easy," said a voice.

I slowly put my knife down, unloaded pistol and set it on the ground and raised my hands. I could almost feel the guy pointing the gun at my head. _How am I going to get out of this one?_

"Now slowly turn around," said the voice.

I slowly turned around and saw a single Yuke soldier pointing his AK-74 inches away from my face. I looked around and didn't see any others so I assumed he got separated from everyone else. He was wearing a face mask and tinted eye protection, so I couldn't see his face. He was a sergeant and he sounded experienced which made me think that it was going to be a tough fight if I tried anything.

"Where are the others from your squad?" he asked.

I looked past him, even though there was nothing there, and tilted my head to the side like I was signaling someone to move.

The Yuke took the bait and looked behind him. I quickly grabbed his rifle and pushed it away from my head. He responded by head-butting me and pushing me back. I quickly went for his rifle again and ejected the magazine and cleared the chamber. We wrestled over the gun until he pulled his knife on me. I let go and jumped back to gain some room. We circled each other, waiting for one of us to make the first move. The Yuke lunged forward and tried to slice and stab at me but I dodged his attacks easily. He kept at it until I was able to dive away and pick up my knife.

"I've been trained for this by one of the best," said the Yuke. "You might as well stop and give up now kid."

"I'll stop when I'm dead" I said.

"Well, I better kill you quickly then," said the Yuke as he swung at me a few more times.

I was dodging and deflecting his attacks, waiting for him to give me an opening until I was finally able to catch his arm with my right hand. I elbowed him in the face with my left arm, which dazed him, allowing me to follow up by stabbing him in the leg. The Yuke staggered back, but remained on his feet. He took off his helmet, face mask, and eye protection. The look on his face was one of frustration and rage. He wanted me dead. I could only look back at him with a tired look in my eyes. _I don't need to kill him._

The Yuke ran towards me with his knife and again I caught his arm. I broke his arm and followed up by punching him square in the jaw and Spartan kicking him back. He was alive and unconscious, but I could've easily killed him. I corrected his broken arm and tied him to one of the light post nearby. The only thing that stopped me from killing that Yuke was my mom's voice asking Lt. Colonel Harkin to promise that he wouldn't let become a monster.

I wanted to keep heading for the dock, but I felt like if I went on, then I would lose myself. _I've already lost myself a number of times, and I always find my way back. No, you could never come back for good Antonio._ _I have to keep moving._ I took the Yuke soldiers equipment and put it on. I was fully equipped to help fight the Yuke forces.

As I entered the docks, I had noticed the gunfire and explosions had died down. I still kept my guard up as I figured there would still be pockets of resistance on the base. I proceeded slowly with my rifle ready. My senses caught every bit of sound, smell, and movement around me. I was on edge and ready for anything.

I continued cautiously through the docks when I noticed a trail of blood that lead to one of the warehouses. I followed it with the hopes of finding someone still alive. I entered the warehouse and checked to make sure it was clear, and then I continued to follow the blood trail. I found a wounded Osean security guard at the end of it.

"How bad is it?" I asked as I put down my gun to try and help him.

"I can't feel anything on my right side, I've lost a lot of blood," he said, straining to talk.

I tried to provide basic medical attention to him while he told me what was going on. The guard told me that the Yukes offensive force was collapsing and that they were trying to regroup their remaining forces to retreat on the north side of the base. The Yuke offensive was over for the most part but there were still stragglers like the soldier I encountered.

I heard something move behind some creates that were stacked near the entrance of the warehouse. I didn't have time to grab my rifle before I heard a shot go off. I quickly dragged the wounded guard behind a trailer and left him there. I then pulled out my knife and snuck around the guy who shot at me. I couldn't tell who he was from behind so I had to assume he was hostile.

As soon as I was behind him, I ran up to him. He turned towards me and I grabbed his gun and I was about to sink my knife into the guy's neck when I noticed it was Captain Hamilton. He noticed it was me after he shot his gun, narrowly hitting me.

"Castillo, you're alive?" he asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I replied.

"The base was still under attack when I saw your planes land. I thought the Yuke would've gotten to you first."

We both relaxed and tended to the wounded guard. Hamilton radioed for some paramedics to meet us at our location and they soon arrived. I hitched a ride on the ambulance and it dropped me off at the hangers where my worried team was talking with Genette. I was still wearing the Yuke soldiers' equipment and was still carrying his rifle in my hand. I saw Genette raise his camera and take my picture as I walked towards them. They all looked happy to see me, except for Kei.

"Jeez Kid, you look like you went to hell and back," said Chopper. "What happened to you? You had us frigging worried."

I told them the whole story and they all listened. I didn't excaudate thing's like Chopper did and I really didn't care if my story really didn't sound all that exciting.

"Excuse me, Captain I was wondering if you could fill me in on the destruction of the Scinfaxi. The others already told me about it, but I was hoping I could get your side of the story," said Genette.

"Not right now. All I'll tell you for now is that the Scinfaxi wasn't supposed to be destroyed," I said and I walked away.

As the day went on, the fighting eventually came to a stop and repairs were already under way. I was in the shower room cleaning myself up from the days close encounters. I was leaning over one of the sinks with my shirt off, cleaning the wounds I receive from everything that happened today. All of a sudden, Kei stormed into the guys' shower room looking for me. _I really don't need to be lectured right now._ When she saw me, walked up and started yelling at me for having a death wish. I let her vent as I was still leaning over the sink.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she yelled.

_You have no idea._ I turned off the water from the sink and looked at her, but I didn't answer. I knew she cares about me, but she doesn't know everything about me. I couldn't look her in the eye and give her a straight answer. "I'm sorry," I said softly. I didn't know what else to say to her. Kei slapped me and I could only stand there with my eyes fixed on the ground.

"That's not an answer," she said.

I turned and looked at my reflection in the mirror. My dark brown hair was greasy from all the sweating and my brown eyes seemed to have no life left in them. The more I looked at myself, the more I saw myself as a demon. I hated myself for being who I was. I was angry, but I couldn't let it show. I wanted to kill the next person I saw, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. If that was the case, why didn't I hesitate to destroy the Scinfaxi?

"I'm angry," I said softly.

"Angry about what?" asked Kei.

"I'm angry about everything. This war, the Yukes, the brass, but most of all I'm angry at myself. I killed all those people on the Scinfaxi and I have no remorse for any of it. I don't think I should be alive right now, but I am. I have to live with this for the rest of my life."

Kei could only stare at me in disbelief as I told her what was going through my mind. I took another look at myself in the mirror. I was disgusted at what I've done so far in this war. I wanted to blame someone, I wanted to blame that pilot who killed half of my family, but it wouldn't do me any good. I was responsible for my own actions and I knew it. I punched the mirror and it shattered.

"I know you care about me Kei; I just don't think anyone should. I'm not a decent person and it took this war to make me realize it," I said.

Kei walked up and stood right next to me. I felt her hand on my shoulder as she turned me towards her. "You're wrong. You're an amazing person, and I'm lucky to have met you. I might not know what drives you, but I know you have good reason for it," said Kei as she hugged me. As we held each other, I seemed to forget about everything else in the world and I didn't want this feeling to end.

"I'm here for you Antonio. You have to remember that," She whispered.

The moment was ruined when Colonel Perrault's voice rang over the PA system and told me to report to his office immediately. _It seems like I'm becoming his least favorite person in the world._ I let go of Kei and kissed her as I left the shower room and put my shirt back on.

On the way to Perrault's office, I noticed just how badly the base facilities were damaged. There were holes in roofs and in the walls that were caused by artillery shells and bullets. All the damage gave me insight on how far the Yukes made it inside the base. I entered the building where the Colonel's office was and noticed just how little the interior of this building was damaged. Outside there were tons of bullet casings from M-16's and M-4's, but none of them were inside. I kept wondering where Perrault was during the whole attack.

I entered the Colonel's office and presented myself. His entire office was untouched, the air smelled of scented oils which I noticed were new, and The Colonel's uniform had no signs of wear on it. _This coward hid in here while everyone else fought._

"Castillo, you're making a habit of pissing me off. I've dealt with enough bullshit from Bartlett, but yours is ten times worse," said Colonel Perrault. He stood up from behind his desk and looked out his window. "I told you that if you stepped one foot out of line, that I would have your ass thrown out of the military. You must've thought that I was joking, didn't you?" He asked me.

"No sir," I replied.

"Then you mind telling me why you disobeyed my orders to leave the Scinfaxi for our boarding party to capture?"

"The ship would've been scuttled by the Yuke to prevent its capture by the time the boarding party would've arrived. So I beat them to the punch."

He looked at me like I was joking. His face was full of rage and I could tell he wanted to do something to really stick it to me, but at much as he didn't want to admit it, he needed me.

"And just how would you know that Captain? Do you have any evidence to support that?"

"No sir, but just because I can't prove that they wouldn't have scuttled the ship, doesn't mean that I have proof that they weren't going scuttle it, and if I were in command of that sub, I wouldn't have let it fall into the hands of my enemy, sir."

I could feel Colonel Perrault's rage increase as I told him my theory. He knew I was making sense. I couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment knowing I was able to get under his skin.

**October 6, 2010 1200hrs Sand Island AFB**

Everyone on Sand Island was ordered to help with the repair effort around the base anyway we could. My team and I did everything from filling in the craters that were created by explosions, to helping with loading trucks up with debris. I was used to all this physical stuff but the sun was beating down on us pretty hard. I thought it was supposed to be cooler during this time of the year. _Oh yeah, we're stationed in the tropics._

I hated the fact that the only uniform I was allowed to wear were my flight suits and working in the sun with it on was just miserable. I had already taken off the top half of my flight suit and tied it around my waist. Later on in the day I removed my undershirt because it was soaked in sweat. Chopper and Grimm soon followed my example and Kei took off het tank top so she could work in her sports bra.

As Kei was working, I could see that she staring at me from the corner of my eye as I was shoveling dirt into a hole. She probably didn't think I noticed. _Yes Kei, I'm good looking, well-toned, tan Mexican. All I need is my Latino accent and I'd be every girls dream guy. At least I hope so._

"Damn this work blows, I'd rather be doing some boring ass patrol instead of this," complained Chopper.

"I just glad we got a break from flying," said Grimm. "What about you Captain?"

"I'd rather be flying as long as I don't run into any enemies, but I don't mind this either. How 'bout you Kei, this or a boring patrol?"

I turned and looked at Kei who turned her eyes away from me quickly, hoping I wouldn't notice her staring at me.

"Hmm… I guess I'd rather be doing this. Usually every time we go on a hop now, we always have to fight for our lives."

"I bet that's not the only reason," said Chopper as threw a large piece of scrap metal into the back of a truck.

Kei perked her head up at what Chopper said and glared at him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she snapped.

"You know what I mean. You haven't taken your eyes off Castillo ever since he took his shirt off. No homo Kid, but you look great," said Chopper.

I saw Kei blushing and I cringed at Chopper's comment even if he did say 'no homo'. She was at loss for words, but then she tried to make an excuse as to why she was staring at me.

"I uh… I was just wondering how he got those two scars on his back," said Kei quickly.

I paused and tensed up. The three of them looked at me waiting to hear my answer. I couldn't tell them how I got my scars. The scar that ran from my lower left back to left shoulder blade was from when I was hit by shrapnel from the bomb that killed my dad, my older sister, and my little brother. The other one I had which ran diagonally over my right shoulder blade was a completely different story.

"Yeah Captain, how did you get them?" asked Grimm.

"I'd rather not talk about it," I said quietly.

They all stood around looking at me in wonderment while I continued working. I looked at each of them and told them to keep working and that they could still talk.

"Okay then, so anyone know of anything new from Scuttlebutt?" asked Chopper.

"I heard that Colonel Perrault spent the entire attack hiding under his desk," said Kei.

"I don't doubt that, but I know someone shit in his office during the attack," I told them.

They looked at me were wondering what I was talking about, so I filled them in about what I noticed when I went to see him in his office two days ago. I pointed out how he must've had some guards protecting the entrances to his office because of all the bullet casings I saw before I walked into the building, and how the only thing different in his office were the air fresheners that tried to mask the smell of crap. They all laughed at what I told them.

**October 22, 2010 1616hrs Akerson Hill**

The repairs to Sand Island took a week and a half before they were complete. We spent the following days performing CAP's, or Combat Air Patrols, all over the west coast and Sand Island. Most of the time it was more than once a day and they took place in areas that had little to no strategic advantage. The only reason we were patrolling them was because the brass thought these areas were infiltration points for small-scale enemy operations, which made sense because the Yukes hadn't conducted any real combat operations since the invasion of Sand Island failed. Still, I was happy that we were given a reason to fly.

This morning started just like it did for the past two weeks, wake up, work out, get on deck, and do whatever until further notice. The only exciting thing that happened today was when Kei and Chopper got promoted to 1st Lieutenant and Grimm got promoted to a Staff Sergeant. I honestly felt bad for Grimm because it would take a while for him to become a commissioned officer like the rest of us.

We got assigned to patrol Akerson Hill again. I didn't really see the need to do so because it was covered by automated AA defenses. All we had to do is place some ground forces around the area and the area would be pretty much on lock down. Regardless of what could've been done, we arrived on station and commenced our patrol.

"That stupid geezer base commander just won't give a break, will he?" moaned Chopper.

"He's relying on us 1st lieutenant Chopper. Hey, congratulations on your promotion, by the way," said Grimm, trying to be optimistic.

"That's weird; I don't feel any better…"

"Do you ever stop complaining Chopper?" I asked.

"I'm just really tired of these crap assignments," he replied.

"Hey you two, what's your current position?" asked Kei.

"Three hundred miles south of you"

There was a moment of silence before it was interrupted by an unfamiliar voice over the radio. I looked kept my head on a swivel, but the only other plane I saw was Kei's F-16.

"Transmitting aircraft, state you assignment and current status," hailed Kei over the radio.

I continued to search for the other air craft until I saw a C-5 towards my one o' clock.

"Oh finally a response… This is the Osean Air Force transport plane Mother Goose 1. We're currently flying to the neutral country of North Point… We have the transmitter set to minimum power. Please come in closer so we can hear."

Kei and I both increased our throttle and caught up with the Mother Goose 1. I got visual confirmation that it was Osean and flew up to the front of the plane. Mother Goose 1 filled us in on its situation and requested our assistance on its top secret mission. The C-5 wasn't transmitting a valid friendly ID signal and a friendly SAM knocked out the planes radar and they'd be flying blind if we didn't help them.

"Alright, Mother Goose 1, follow my F-18 and I'll lead you through the AA defenses. Edge, I need you to give me some space here. I don't want to crash into you on accident; my eyes are going to be glued on my radar the whole time, alright?" I said and they both got into position.

"… Uhh, the air defense command just received multiple radar hits on an enemy formation closing in on your position. First bad guys we've seen crossing the pond for a while. Warning alarms are goin' off like mad but we're the only ones near enough to intercept 'em in time. Hold on, baby, we're comin' to your rescue," said Chopper.

"Understood, I'm counting on you two," replied Kei.

As I was starting to enter the AA coverage zone, the radio started picking up the enemy's communication. I didn't have visual contact, but they sounded close by.

"These guys sound as beautiful as Thunderhead. Sweet as a rose, I tell ya," said Chopper.

We continued listening in on their communications and by the sound of things; they were coming after Mother Goose 1.

"Is that the enemy speaking? What are these guys talking about?" asked Kei.

"Don't worry about that, we need your escort. We're completely defenseless," said Mother Goose 1.

I ordered Kei to gain altitude so she could provide top cover in case the enemy made it through the AA defenses. I was using only my rudders to change directions as I guided Mother Goose 1 through the coverage area. I was so focused on my radar that I jumped every time Mother Goose 1's voice came over the radio. He kept talking and he was even more annoying than Chopper because he kept saying things that were so damn obvious. There were times that I wanted to fly through one of the small coverage areas so a missile would give him a real reason to talk, but I couldn't. _Just stick a straw in it and suck it up Antonio._

As we came close to clearing the AA defenses, one of Mother Goose 1's warning alarms went off. The C-5 was still flying normally but it made me wonder how damaged was Mother Goose 1's plane was.

"Mother Goose 1, we should be clear of the AA defenses shortly," I said.

As we cleared the defense area, Mother Goose 1 broke off and turned towards its intended heading. He also asked for our continued escort but we didn't have the fuel to make it all the way to North Point. To make matters worse, I saw enemy planes on my radar and they outnumbered me and Kei. We didn't have enough ammo or ordinance to take on all of them by ourselves. I only had four air to air missiles and a set of rocket pods and Kei had the same number of air to air missiles and four maverick, air to ground missiles.

"Chopper, where are you guys," I asked.

"We're almost there Kid, just hold on."

"Mother Goose 1, we'll take care of them. Please keep your current vector," said Kei.

Mother Goose 1 tried to acknowledge but more alarms went off. He was losing power and one of his engines started to trail smoke. The C-5 was in serious trouble and we could only do so much. _Calm down, focus on the enemy fighters first, and then try to help Mother Goose 1._

Kei and I met two enemy MiG-31s head on and they shot past us. We turned to intercept them, but they were too fast! They were going to shoot down the transport plane. I watched as they closed in on Mother Goose 1, but suddenly they both burst into flames. _What the hell just happened? _I spotted Chopper's F-16 and Grimm's F-18 in the distance. They intercepted the MiG-31s just in time.

"Hey Kid, were under your command now," said Chopper.

"Glad to see you made it in time," I said relieved. "Alright, Grimm you're with me, Kei go join Chopper and cover Mother Goose 1 just in case any enemy fighters slip through," I ordered.

Grim and I put our F-18s in full afterburner to intercept the next wave of fighters. This time they were MiG- 29s. As we came at each other from head on, Grimm followed me into a climb to gain altitude over the MiGs as they passed below us. I rolled over and pulled the stick back and performed a split S to get on the enemy's six o' clock and use the speed I gained in the dive, to catch up with them. Grimm had the first lock and shot down the trailing MiG.

The flight lead broke right and tried to shake us off of his tail. He tried losing me with a rolling scissors, but he stalled out and crashed without me even shooting at him. I didn't get credit for that kill but I really didn't care.

As Grimm and I continued to intercept the attacking enemies, I heard Mother Goose 1 tell someone to get back in their seat followed by gun shots.

"Hey, it's Dutch rolling," yelled Chopper.

"Mother Goose 1, come in? Mother Goose 1 do you copy," I yelled.

"Uh, this is transport plane… uh… Mother Goose 1, the Captain's been shot," said a voice.

"What?"

"There was a spy in the crew. Uh oh, two of the engines have shut down."

"Hey, what kind of cargo you got in there? Is it something dangerous?" asked Chopper, but there was no response. "Hey you there," yelled Chopper.

"The Captain's dead, and the co-pilot was wounded by a stray bullet. Tommy's holding the stick now, but he's just a secretary… He's never piloted a plane before," said the voice.

"So who are you?" asked Chopper.

"I… I guess you would call me… The cargo on this plane, could you tell me how to control this thing? I'll relay everything to him."

"Lower your altitude. Prepare for emergency landing," said Kei. "Put your flaps down. That'll lower your airspeed. Can you find your flap lever?"

I could hear them trying to find the flap lever as me and Grimm mopped up the remaining enemies. We could see more enemies on their way but they bugged out. We rejoined Kei and Chopper who were walking the passengers through landing procedures.

"The ground's full of electro generator windmills," said Chopper.

The passengers asked us to shoot them down to clear the way. Kei agreed and armed her Maverick missiles. Chopper wasn't too sure they'd survive the landing.

"Okay, let's do it. Are you still there, Ma'am? With the lovely voice, uh, miss…"

"1st lieutenant Kei Nagase… Sir,"

"Ah, and a lovely name as well," said the man.

"And I'm Chopper."

"Uh, that's a good name too."

"I like you, man," said Chopper.

_I wonder if Chopper realizes who he's talking too._ I saw multiple windmills in the C-5's path. I armed my rocket pods and launched five of them in rapid succession at the base of each windmill due to the fact that they weren't guided. We destroyed a total of thirteen windmills to clear a makeshift runway.

"You're doing great Tommy, those pilots ought to recruit you," said the man.

_He's handling that plane pretty well and he has the education that'll allow him to become a pilot, he could be recruited. _We all watched as the C-5 descended and finally touched down. It was still going and I couldn't help but wonder if they put the plane's wheels down. I was hard to watch because we all knew that anything could happen in a crash landing, but luck was on their side. The C-5 came to a gradual stop and rested in the middle of a field. _Well done Tommy._

"Are you alright, Mr. Cargo?" asked Kei.

"Uh, yeah, I guess. That was a pretty smooth ride, actually."

_I'm not sure if he's serious or if he's trying to be sarcastic._

"Mr. Cargo, I've got a question I'd like to ask you,"

"What is it?"

"The bird of peace… Did you really have to use that beautiful white bird for this war? Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yeah," said the man.

"I wanted to see you bridge of peace span into outer space," said Kei.

"It's still possible. Thanks to the bird, we're on equal terms now. I'm trying to get to North Point because I believe we have a chance,"

"To hold talks in neutral territory," asked Kei.

"Right, communication is vital,"

"So, I can still believe in you then? I don't want to see any more young men or women lose their lives."

"Me neither," said the man.

I was wondering if this guy could really put an end to this war before it got any worse. I wanted it to end before I had to kill anyone again. I didn't want history to see me or my team as monsters.

"Uh oh, I'm out of fuel," said Chopper.

I was getting low too, but I didn't want to leave the transport plane alone. Suddenly, I heard another voice over the radio.

"This is the Osean Air Force 8492nd squadron. We observed the emergency landing on our radar, can you see us? You can leave the rest to us, we'll provide support until the transport plane's crew is rescued."

"Rodger 8492nd, take care of them for us," said Kei and we headed for Sand Island.

I didn't know who these guys were, and they sure showed up at a convenient time. I didn't let it bother me too much as we headed back to base, but what did bother me was that I've been noticing that the Yukes always seem to know what the Osean military is up to. That spy in the crew of Mother Goose 1 just proved my point.


	9. Escalation

**Note:** It might take some time for me to post new chapters in the future because I started school again, so I apologize if I keep you waiting. Also, I appreciate you all for reading and reviewing my story.

**Chapter 8 – Escalation**

**October 25, 2010 0530hrs Sand Island AFB**

I woke up with a start. I had a nightmare about what happened the day my dad and siblings died mixed with the day we sunk the Scinfaxi. It all bothered me but I felt like I had to keep it bottled up inside of me. The only reason I did was because if I told anyone, I would keep dwelling on it and I didn't want them to keep hearing me talk about it. I didn't want to tell a shrink neither because they just annoyed the hell out of me. Overall, I felt like there was no use in talking about things that bothered me.

I lied in my bunk for a couple more minutes thinking, before I got out of my bunk. Kei was just waking up as my feet touched the floor. I guess she was starting to get used to me waking up so early.

"Good morning, Miss Nagase," I said gently smiling at her.

"Well good morning, Mr. Castillo. You going for your run?" she asked while stretching.

"Yup, then to the gym and then the showers," I said while putting on my work out shirt and running shoes.

"Mind if I join you?" asked Kei.

I blushed when I heard her ask. I thought she meant the shower and I think she knew that's what I was thinking.

"For your run and your work out I mean," she said quickly.

"Oh… Yeah if you want," I said.

Kei went to the shower rooms to get dressed as I did my warm up stretches and she came back and started stretching as well. I noticed just how flexible she was and I figured that she did yoga or something that involved a lot of stretching when she was younger. I couldn't stop staring at her as she grabbed her foot and pulled her leg back to where her foot almost touched the back of her head.

"Alright, you ready to go?" asked Kei, breaking my gaze away from her.

"Yeah, let's go," I said.

We ran all the way around the base together and we talked a bit about personal things. Kei mentioned that she was of Japanese decent and that she was born back on Earth. Her family came to Strangereal to try and find a better life and that they didn't think that they'd be stuck here. Kei's grandmother was a member of a Native American tribe that lived in Alaska, but judging by Kei's looks, I never would've guessed that.

When we were almost done with our run, I asked Kei how she became so limber and she told me she used to do gymnastics when she was nine. She also told me she knew two types of martial arts, three if I counted what we learn in basic, and that her flexibility really gave her an edge in a fight, no pun intended.

"When we get to the gym, do you want to do some sparring?" asked Kei.

I was a little nervous about answering that question. I've seen some of what Kei was capable of, but I don't know what she was truly capable of. _Come on, it's not like you're going to hurt her. And besides, she wouldn't have asked you if she didn't think she could take you._

"Sure, if you want," I said and Kei looked at me like she had lured me into a trap as we continued running.

We got to the gym and it was more crowded than usual. Almost every work out station was full and the boxing ring was already occupied. Kei and I decided to do our work out until the ring was available and then we could loosen up after our work out by sparring.

"So, do you think I stand a chance," I asked as I did my arm curls.

Kei was doing her abdominal exercise and didn't answer me until she was done. "You got lucky last time," she said.

"Oh really, because I've never been lucky before," I replied grinning.

"Well, are you ready to get your ass handed to you by a woman Antonio?" said Kei grinning back at me.

"Whoa now, we're just practicing hand to hand. It's not a real fight," I said somewhat concerned but jokingly at the same time.

Some of the others who were working out next to us over heard. They looked at me and Kei hoping this would escalate. That was the last thing I wanted.

"I know that, but I like to think of sparring as a competitive thing as well," said Kei.

"Well sometimes I do too, but not all the time," I said even more concerned.

"Aww, are you chicken, sir? I thought my flight lead was more of an eagle," said Kei mockingly. _I'm more of a fox._

More attention was drawn towards us and I was being put on the spot. I could hear the others in the gym talking about us and I even heard someone say they were taking bets. _She's doing this on purpose._ I felt responsible for it at the same time; I was just joking with her when I said I'd never been lucky before.

"Come on Captain, you can take her," said someone in the gym.

"Kick his butt Lieutenant Nagase!"

"Are you going to let her get away with that Castillo?"

"Show him what a woman can do, Kei!"

I could've pulled rank on Kei, but I felt like it would've been a bitch thing to do. I really didn't want to fight Kei like this, but it was the lady's choice. I looked at Kei and gave into what she was trying to do.

"Alright, so no holds back then?" I asked making sure it's what she wanted.

"No holds back, sir," she said.

The others in the gym cheered and started betting on either me or Kei. She took off her socks, shoes, and hoodie and stepped into the ring without putting on any protective gear. She only wore her black workout pants and tank top while I was only wearing my gym shorts and compression shirt.

"Hey you," I said pointing to one of the guys in the crowd. "You're a medical officer right?"

"Yes sir, I am," he replied.

"Alright, you're going to be supervising this whole thing, and if you think things might start getting out of hand, I want you call it off, understand?" I said and he acknowledge.

The cheers around the ring grew louder and louder as we waited for the ref to start the round. I looked at Kei, who was bouncing on the balls of her feet, she looked determined to try and take me down and she gave me an evil grin. I gave her one right back and got ready.

The ref started the first round and Kei and I circled around the ring waiting for one of us to move. Kei stepped forward and threw a punch which I deflected. _Wait until she lands her first hit to determine how serious she is._ Kei threw another punch and tried to follow through with a high kick. I caught her leg and twisted it enough to get her back to face me, but not enough to actually hurt her, and pushed her away.

Kei stepped back towards me and I duck just in time to avoid a round house kick. As she missed, she threw more punches and I dodged or deflected all of them. _I almost have her figured out._ As I deflected her last punch away from my chest, I sung my left arm at her. Kei caught my arm and flipped me over her shoulder. The cheering of the crowd intensified.

Kei waited for me to get back on my feet to continue the round. _That wasn't enough to determine how hard she's trying._ I waited for Kei to attack again, and she did. She used her right leg to try a low kick and a high kick. I blocked them both with my left arm but I wasn't fast enough to block her left cross to my face. Kei then tried to follow up with a haymaker. I caught her arm and hip tossed her to the ground.

The ref ended the first round. It seemed like neither of us had the upper hand in this match. _I'm not even trying. I should switch up my style to see what she's got._ I took a look at the crowd and they were all cheering for one of us. I saw Chopper cheering for Kei and Grimm just looked clueless as to what was going on. I wasn't paying attention when the ref started round two and Kei landed a hard kick to my jaw. The crowd cheered louder for Kei as I went down.

I was almost knocked out cold and I was on the ground. I was heavily dazed and I almost couldn't see straight. _Okay, she's trying to hurt me._ I got on my feet and I could hear some of the spectators asking how I was still standing. Kei was surprised I got back up at all. I've taken hits worse than that before and have gotten back up to finish the fight.

Kei tilted her head from side to side to crack her neck and readied herself for whatever was next. I cracked my knuckles to show her I was going to try harder. _Like all other women, if I damage her face, then I'm a terrible person. I guess I have to try and make her tap out._ I closed in on Kei and she tried to land multiple punches on my torso. I locked my right arm with hers as she tried to swing a right hook. I was going to try and put her in an arm bar, but she beat me to it. Kei jumped and swung her right leg over my head, placing it across my stomach while her left leg was placed over my chest. We fell on our backs and she was pulling my arm back between her legs. I was trapped.

"Come on Captain, give up!" shouted Kei.

She kept pulling on my arm and it felt like it was about to break. The crowd was yelling for me to tap out or cheered me on telling me not to give up. _Dammit, I can't get out of this without hurting her. _I tried putting my left arm in between Kei's legs so I could use it for leverage and help me escape, but I couldn't get it through. _Come on Antonio, you're a Marine. Improvise, adapt, and overcome._ I could only think of one thing to do and I didn't think it would work.

I felt around for Kei's foot with my free arm and got a hold of it. I then proceeded to try and tickle it. Kei's leg jerked back and then quickly set back in place. I tickled her foot again and it jerked back again. _She's ticklish!_ Kei put her leg back into place one last time and I tried tickling it again. The strain on her face told me she was trying to resist moving her leg until I tapped out. She pulled even harder on my arm and my pain increased. I kept tickling her foot until she lifted it off of my chest. She tried setting it back in place but I forced her leg behind my head. I was finally able to get out of her arm bar.

"Hey ref, he can't do that!" I heard someone yell.

"These two agreed on no holds back, he's still in the fight," replied the ref.

I wasn't free for long. Kei wrapped her legs around my waist, pulled me towards her and put me in a head lock. I realized right then that I was fighting on Kei's terms. Every time I countered her hold on me and put her into a new one, she would counter my hold and put me into a new one as well. I was finally able to separate myself from Kei and the ref ended the round. _Now I know how her flexibility gives her an edge_.

Kei and I looked at each other as we waited for the next round to start. Kei was smiling at me like she had me on the ropes. _Don't try to wrestle her; she knows what she's doing. Watch out for her kicks; if she lands enough of them, I'm done for._ The crowd was routing for Kei overall and only a hand full of people were cheering for me. _I have to force her to screw up._

The ref started the third round and I went for Kei. I was throwing punches and kicks in rhythm and Kei was having trouble keeping up. I forced her to go on the offensive, which is exactly what she did. Kei's body was a fury of movement as she tried to land a hit on me, but she couldn't. I was toying with her and I could see she was becoming frustrated as I kept blocking her attacks. I let her land a couple punches on me but I didn't let her kick me. This eventually made her focus more on landing punches more than kicks. _I got you right where I want you._

As Kei threw a hard right jab, I caught her wrist with my left hand, squeezed her pressure point, and pushed her arm towards my right, but I didn't let go. As I duck to avoid a left hook, I grabbed Kei's right forearm just below the elbow with my right hand, squeezed another one of her pressure points, and then lightly bumped her on the last pressure point behind her ear with my left elbow. I then quickly spun around her with such fluid motion and caught Kei before she hit the ground.

My last blow caused Kei to faint and I quickly sat her down and started rubbing the back of her neck while I held her with my other arm. Everyone who was watching got quiet all of a sudden and could only watch as I tried to wake up Kei. A few of them thought I killed her, which I could've done at any point during the fight, but I didn't. The ref decided to stop the fight completely after he saw Kei pass out.

"What the hell did you do to her Castillo?"

"Did he kill her?"

"I think he just knocked her out!"

"Is she still breathing?"

"Everyone, just relax!" I shouted. "I just knocked her out, she'll be fine."

I continued to rub the back of Kei's neck for about half a minute until she finally came to. I smiled knowing that she was alright, but she was confused as to what had just happened.

"What happened?" asked Kei.

"What's the last thing you remember?" I asked.

"All I remember is you elbowing me on the side of my head and then just darkness. What did you do to me?" said Kei in a raised voice.

"I squeezed two of the pressure points in your arm and then I lightly tapped the third one behind your ear, causing you to black out," I said. "You should be fine."

The medical officer quickly looked her over and confirmed that she was alright. There were a lot of unhappy betters in the gym. I cost Chopper almost a hundred dollars and I won Grimm over two hundred. I helped Kei onto her feet and I told her that I was sorry.

"I'll get you next time, sir," said Kei as she got her things and left the gym.

**1207hrs Sand Island Crew room**

There was nothing going on today, and Wardog squadron was able to spend the day relaxing. I would've gone to play with Kirk but the cloud cover over the base didn't look too promising. I wrote an e-mail to my mom and told her what I've been up to ever since the war started. I wasn't sure if she already had read Genette's article about us, but I told her everything that happened ever since I went back to Heierlark. I also told her how Colonel Perrault was the base commander here and told her he said 'hi', not that she would even take that as a nice greeting.

I went to the crew room and started watching TV with Chopper and Grimm for most of the day. Kei was sitting on the couch away from the rest of us, writing in her book. I kept looking back at her and I got the feeling that she was mad at me for what happened this morning in the gym. I started to feel as if we weren't really together anymore and it worried me. Maybe it was because no one knew about us or we were just a very odd couple. Captain Hamilton came by later with Genette and told us some very unsettling news.

"We just got word that the Arkbird has just been sabotaged," said Captain Hamilton.

"How is that even possible?" asked Grimm.

"Yuke commandos placed explosives in a supply shipment that was delivered to the Arkbird sometime around midnight last night. The Arkbird is now out of commission and now the Yukes have the upper hand," said Captain Hamilton.

Kei wasn't really disturbed by this as much as I was. The Yuke's were extremely clever with their intelligence operations. They had placed their spies perfectly so that they could sabotage us from the inside. _If only I could do something about all of this. _All of this just kept reminding me of how we couldn't keep up with the Yukes and how many people died because no one could see any of this coming. I got up and left the crew room in frustration.

I went over to the hangers and found Pops, working on one of the A-10s that still need to be repaired after all the damage it took from the Scinfaxi's AA guns. Pops was performing maintenance on one of the engines and tried repairing any damage he could. The plane was in really bad shape and it didn't look like it could fly, but it still got Chopper and Grimm back home safely.

"Hey Captain, what've you been up to?" said Pops.

"We just got word that the Arkbird has been sabotaged. I don't know how much longer this war is going to drag on without its support," I replied as I walked towards the work bench near the hanger wall.

Pops got down from the A-10 and followed me over towards the work bench. He took a seat next to me and called Kirk over.

"It's hard fighting for something if you don't know the reason for it," said Pops.

I nodded in agreement. "There's only so much a person can take before they get sick of it," I said. "I don't know how you and Captain Bartlett came out of the last war in one piece."

"Believe me Antonio; Bartlett came out in better shape than I did. He and I have a past just like everyone else, but only we can decide if we want it to affect us. Like you told Kei, you don't have to go through it alone. Speaking of which, is it true you two are dating?"

I couldn't hide my surprised facial expression when he asked me that. I don't know if it was a rumor he heard or if Kei had actually told him.

"Yes, she told me but don't worry, I'm the only one who knows," said Pops.

I relaxed a little when he said no one else knew. I knew I could trust Pops, but while I was growing up, trust was a hard thing to come by. I nodded my head and he smiled knowing that it was true.

"You should do something nice together one day. Try requesting some leave with her so you can go back to the mainland and do whatever it is you kids do for fun these days," suggested Pops.

I got up and walked over to the A-10 that Pops was working on and climbed into the cockpit. I just seemed to be at home while I sat there. Flying is the one of the few things that I loved more than anything else; besides those intimate moments I spent with Kei. I felt free when I was flying peacefully, but I also felt totally alone when I flew by myself. It was one of the worst feelings to me.

"Hey Pops are there any planes that are good for a hop right now?" I shouted across the hanger.

"Yeah, your Super Hornet is already to go and so is another F-18. Why do you ask?"

I didn't say anything. I jumped out of the A-10's cockpit and got my flight gear. I then headed to the hanger where my F-18 was and hopped in the cockpit. I needed to be alone to think of ways I could do something great for Kei, she was the only other thing in this world that took my mind off of the world. As I started to strap myself in, I looked over to my right and saw the other F-18 Pops mentioned; it was an F/A-18F, a two seated version of the F/A-18E.

"Captain, what are you doing?" asked one of the mechanics in the hanger.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm deciding whether I should take this bird or that one for a ride," I said pointing at the other F-18.

I climbed out of my plane and walked over to the other F-18 and looked it over from the nose to the tail. I decided to take this one instead, because it gave me the illusion that I wasn't alone. I climbed into the front seat and strapped myself in. I got clearance from the control tower to go for a hop as I did my pre-flight check.

"Hey, what are you doing?" I looked up from my check list to see Kei sanding on the ground looking up at me.

I looked at her, surprised. "How'd you know I was in here?" I asked.

"Pops told me and I just wanted to see if you were okay. So what are you doing?" she asked again.

"I'm going for a hop; I need to get my mind off of things. Flying peacefully is something that usually did the trick back at Heierlark," I said. _I would love for you to come with me. I need you right now._ I couldn't bring myself to ask her to come with me.

Kei put all of her weight on one of right leg, folded her arms, and looked at me kind of suggestively. "You know there are other things you could do to take your mind off of things," said Kei.

The fact that guys don't think with their brain, made me wonder what she was talking about. I blushed at the thought and I couldn't get it out of my head.

"So what would you suggest?" I asked trying to keep my cool.

"Round two?" she said raising an eye brow.

_You saying that isn't helping get rid of these thought._ I wanted to take her up on that offer but it wouldn't have felt right if she was thinking what I was thinking or if she really wanted a rematch from this morning. I smiled, looked down at my check sheet, and then looked back at her.

"Get your flight gear," I said. "Come with me."

"Are you sure," she asked.

"I would love to have you along, Miss Nagase."

Kei smiled and went to get her flight gear as I finished the check list. She soon came back and climbed into the seat behind me. One of the mechanics towed the F-18 outside and I started the engines. As I taxied out onto the runway, I got take off clearance from the tower and I took off. As I felt the plane lift off the ground, I felt happy. I gradually gained altitude and eventually reached the cloud deck.

"So where are we going?" said Kei.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" she said. "I thought you had a route planned out."

"This is just one of those 'see where the wind takes us' kind of things," I said.

I looked at my watch and saw that it was 1736hrs. As we gained altitude through the clouds, I started talking with Kei again about stuff. Great memories with family, places we'd like to visit someday, and other things of the sort.

"So where did you learn how to fight like that?" said Kei.

"My mom's friend, Lieutenant Colonel Harkin, taught me when I was growing up. He was a Special Forces Marine and he looked out for me after my dad died." I told her.

"How did your dad die," she asked cautiously.

I played the entire day it happened in my head. From when my family arrived at the airshow where it happened, to me being knocked out by the last bomb the green eyed pilot dropped.

"He died in an explosion along with my little brother and older sister," I said.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know," replied Kei.

"It's ok… I just try not to think about it a lot," I said. Since the war started, that day has been on my mind a lot. But the green eyed pilot, ever since I found out he was alive, has been on my mind the most. I swore if I ever had the chance to, I would kill him.

We were at six thousand feet when I noticed we were getting close to the top of the cloud deck. I could almost see the sun to the west._ We're almost there._ I remember Kei told me that her dad died when we were back at Heierlark.

"You mind if I ask how your dad died?" I asked nervously.

"My father died during an attack at an air show when I was seven"

My eyes widened as I looked back at Kei with a startling realization and I accidentally pushed the stick over to the left when I turned around. I quickly recovered the F-18 and continued flying. _Kei was there too? Did she know about the green eyed pilot?_

"Sorry, my hand slipped," I said quickly.

We finally broke through the cloud deck at eight thousand feet and I looked over the clouds towards the sunset. If my life came with music, there would be an orchestra playing some kind of peaceful, healing music for this moment. I loved watching the sun peak over the horizon. It was like I found comfort knowing that, even though the sun is going down, I would see the sun rise the next day. It also reminded me of the very first time I went flying; ironically it was the same day my dad died.

"I love watching the sunset from up here, it's one of the few places that make me feel at peace," I said to Kei.

"Yeah, I remember when I was little; I would climb on top of the roof of my house with my sister and watch it set. I love spending moments like this with loved ones. Thank you for bringing me along Antonio."

"You're welcome, I was hoping to ask you something but I didn't want to ask you while we were at Sand Island," I said.

"What is it?"

I turned off the wideband radio so that way only Kei and I could hear each other. I had requested a four day 96, or three day leave period, to go to Oured to take part in a US Marine Corp tradition.

"I put my request in for a 96 from November the eighth to November the eleventh so I could attend the Marine Corp birthday ball in Oured. The Osean military is allowing this for the next few years until all the remaining US troops on Strangereal are converted over to the Osean military," I said.

"So what are you asking Antonio?" said Kei curiously.

"Would you like to go with me?" I said as I braced myself in case I was rejected. There was a moment of silence as I waited to hear Kei's answer.

"I'd love to go with you Antonio, but do you think I'd be allowed to?" she asked.

"I don't see why not, Chopper and Grimm can take care of themselves if the brass needs to call on them," I said.

Kei was quiet for a bit before she said anything. I was nervous that she was going to back out because she was unsure about something.

"Do I need to wear my uniform?" she finally asked.

"No, it's a foreign military function; you'd just be coming as my date," I said as I rolled my eyes. _She's starting to make a big deal out of this. All I want was a simple yes or no._

"Only on one condition," said Kei.

"And that is?"

"You teach me how to fight like you do."

"Deal," I replied and I turned the F-18 back towards Sand Island.

**November 1, 2010 1100hrs Sand Island AFB**

We entered the briefing room and took our seats. Scuttlebutt said this mission was going to be important because they gave us steak and eggs for breakfast this morning; they'd never done that before. I winced in pain as my leaned back in my chair and Grimm saw it.

"You alright, sir," he asked.

"He got his ass beat this morning by Nagase. He was showing her some things in the ring and she caught on pretty quick," said Chopper.

"Ha-ha shut the hell up," I snapped at Chopper.

"A bit touchy this morning, eh Kid? I'd be pretty embarrassed too if I got my ass handed to me by a girl," said Chopper.

I flipped Chopper the bird and turned around just in time to see Colonel Perrault walk into the room. His usual scowl didn't seem as tense, so he must've been happy about something. _I wonder if he thought that he lost weight._

"Our Army is finally ready to conduct a large-scale counter-attack against Yuktobania. If we succeed, we'll never have to face the humiliation of those Yukes trampling on our homeland again. The goal of this operation is simple... To invade and occupy the Yuktobanian mainland," announced Colonel Perrault.

The 1st and 2nd Army battalions were going to storm the beaches of the Bastok Peninsula in Yuktobania. The two battalions would be divided into four companied which would fan out and destroy the beach defenses. Wardog was given the task of providing CAS for the companies whenever they needed it. After the companies passed a certain point, they will rendezvous into a combined force to capture their main objective, the fortress. Weather conditions were said to be poor so we had to choose aircraft that were best suited for this mission. Chopper and I would fly in the A-10s while Kei and Grimm flew F-15E strike eagles, which meant that they had to take along a WSO, or Weapon System Operator.

I ordered the A-10s to be armed with six maverick missiles, a pair of rocket pods that could hold nineteen rockets each, three JDAM bombs, or Joint Direct Attack Munition, two sidewinders, an ECM pod, and an external fuel tank. The Strike Eagles were ordered to be equipped with four sidewinders, six Maverick missiles, six JDAMs, and two external fuel tanks.

We took off from Sand Island and headed towards our first waypoint. On the way, Kei and Grimm's WSO introduced themselves. 1st lieutenant Kyle Nelms, call sign: Smokey, flew with Kei and 2nd lieutenant Erica Boldman, call sign: Birdy, was paired with Grimm. _Why couldn't they just trade WSOs? Smokey better not try hitting on Kei._

"It's great to be flying with you all, Captain," said Kyle.

"Yeah, well you might change your mind when shit hits the fan," said Chopper.

"Knock it off, you just better not get Edge killed, Smokey. That goes for you too, Birdy," I said.

"I'll do my best, sir," replied Erica.

"Don't call me 'sir', it makes me feel old."

"Twenty-Three is old, Kid," said Chopper.

"Then why do you still call me 'Kid', Alvin?"

"Hey come on, easy with that alright? I was just joking, damn."

Everyone started laughing as we approached our first waypoint. We could see storm clouds in the distance and it looked pretty bad. _I wonder if that's a sign from God, saying that today is going to be a very bad day._

**1630hrs Bastok Peninsula, Yuktobania**

We released our external fuel tanks when we arrived at our AO and we could see the Osean Cruisers launching cruise missiles towards the shore. The four companies were already in their landing craft headed for the beach. Guess it's _time to get to work. _I ordered Chopper to help me take out the shore batteries and protect the hovercraft headed toward the beach.

"To hell with this war," uttered Chopper.

As we finished strafing the shore batteries, the four companies disembarked off of their landing craft and started advancing inland. I watched as allied troops and armored vehicles started advancing on the beach and met the Yuke soldiers. They were meeting a lot of resistance, but they kept pushing forward.

"Captain, I got multiple hits on radar coming from the north. Some of them are closing in faster than others; I'm guessing they're enemy helicopters mixed in with jets," said Erica.

"Roger that, Birdy, Edge, take Archer and intercept them. Chopper and I will cover the landing forces," I said.

Kei and Grimm flew farther inland while Chopper and I continued to provide CAS for the ground forces. Chopper supported companies C and D while I covered companies A and B. They were moving in pretty quickly.

"These guys are just going to storm in, head-on, following orders. That's how war is fought and that's why I hate it," yelled Chopper. "The politicians don't see war from the front lines and they think that they can resolve this with pens and paper? I'd like to see those bastards spend a day in our boots."

"A piece of paper can't guarantee shit, only a man's word can," I said.

"This is company B, our attack's getting held up by fierce fire from the bunkers. Halt the enemy fire with an air strike, we'll charge in at the same time."

"Rodger that, paint the bunker with a laser designator and standby," I said.

I saw the bunker pop up on my HUD and I got into position. I was at fifteen hundred feet and came in at a fifteen degree dive towards the target. I fired two rockets and a two second burst from my 30mm cannon. The bunker fell silent and I pulled out of my attack run. I looked back down and saw the troops rush the bunker, but before I could see them capture it, I got another CAS request from company A.

I gave my A-10 full throttle and saw another bunker firing at company A. I locked onto it and dropped a JDAM right on top of it, but it didn't cause enough damage. I looped back up and over to do another attack run on the bunker and fired four rockets at it and suppressed it.

"Bunkers opening fire again retreat, retreat!" shouted someone from company B.

"Kid, our air attacks are only suppressing the bunkers. We have to rely on the ground forces to take them out for good," said Chopper.

I turned back towards company B's location and attacked the bunker again, and again the ground forces rushed in. I could hear friendly radio chatter and it didn't seem like they were stressing about this operation at all. There were times when I heard them mention sniper teams and mortar positions but we couldn't do anything about them with visibility being this poor.

"Captain, I got visual contact on a pair of mobile howitzers inside the fortress. They'll do some damage to the landing forces if we don't take care of them soon. Edge and Archer are busy dealing with enemy fighters right now so we can't do anything about them," said Kyle.

"Rodger, I'm on the way, Chopper you're on your own for now," I said.

Chopper wasn't too happy about it, but I figured it was payback for how much he annoyed me at times. I flew towards the fortress and I saw the howitzers firing towards the landing forces. I was taking heavy AA fired from the fortress air defenses and I had to bob and weave through it. I acquired radar lock on the two howitzers and launched two maverick missiles at them. They were easily knocked out of commission and I headed back towards our ground forces.

"Blaze, there are too many fighters over here, some of them slipped past us and they're headed towards you," said Kei.

I looked up at my rearview mirror and saw a couple of Su-25 Frogfoots headed for the beach. They must've not seen me because they flew right past me. _My plane isn't meant to dogfight, but neither are their planes._ I opened the throttle and latched onto the trailing Frogfoot as they flew in formation towards the fight. When I was in range, I opened up on him with my gun and saw my bullets impact his left engine and explode, causing the left wing to break off and almost hit me. The remaining two Frogfoots broke formation and I followed the flight lead into his right turn while firing into his plane's midsection and watched explode. I then turned to engage the last Su-25 and got a lock on him with my sidewinder. The pilot tried launching flares, but my missile still found its way into his right engine and he bailed out.

"Kid, where the hell, are you," shouted Chopper. "I can't help all of these guys by myself!"

"Hang on, I'm on the way," I said as sped towards the ground forces. They were getting hit hard and I could hear them over the radio asking for air support. I got to company B first and I strafed the enemy bunker with rockets. The troops wasted no time capturing it and moving on. Chopper and I had our hands full trying to suppress the remaining bunkers and we were running low on munitions.

"Birdy, Smokey, how are you guys doing over there?" I asked.

"This is Smokey, we're still engaging enemy fighters, but we're going to get overwhelmed soon."

"Archer, Edge; disengage and get over here. We need your help with these bunkers," I said.

"But what about these fighters? We'll be without top cover for the rest of the operation," said Grimm.

"I know. We'll try to deal with them when we can, but right now I need your help with these bunkers."

Kei and Grimm rejoined us and started suppressing the bunkers while the ground forces continued to capture them. We had to break off at times to take care of enemy aircraft, but it didn't slow us down. The radio chatter from our allies became relaxed and it didn't seem like they were in no trouble at all, but I knew better. I could see some of the troops collapsing as they got hit be enemy fire and others firing back towards the Yukes.

"How could the President authorize an escalation of the war like this? This is insane; we'll get bogged down in this forever. Hey, that mister cargo guy was the president right? Man, I thought I could believe in him back then. I had no idea he was such a wuss," said Chopper.

"No… he's not," said Kei.

Companies A and B were finally able to regroup with each other while companies C and D were still trying to capture their last bunkers. Everything was going pretty good so far.

"Did you know, my older brother's down there," said Grimm.

"What? You should've told me that earlier you moron. Where is he?" said Chopper.

"I don't know, they all look the same," said Grimm.

"Uh, this is company D I have a favor to ask… Could you bomb our monster of a Captain for us?"

"How 'bout I spot you from up here and send some depleted uranium slugs through you fucking head? Now get off the god damn radio!" I shouted.

"Uh, hey I was just kidding," he said and whispered to his friend that their plan failed.

As the operation went on, the ground forces got closer and closer to the fortress. My weapons were running low and so was the rest of Wardog. I only had my gun, twenty-eight rockets, and a single sidewinder left when the ground forces made it to the fortress gates. They were facing more resistance and I had to use my weapons sparingly.

Kei, Grimm, and Chopper all had the same ammo situation so we had to take turns making attack runs on the bunkers. As Kei started her attack, I saw an enemy MiG-29 closing in on her. _ Might not be able to shoot him down, but I might be able to break off his attack._ As he latched onto Kei's F-15, I shot a burst from my gun over his right wing and he broke off while Kei continued her attack. I tried keeping the enemy plane in my sights but I couldn't keep up with him in my A-10 and he soon got behind me. My squad couldn't back me up because they still had to provide CAS. _It's just you and me, so bring it on._

I was flying close to the ground and the enemy plane easily kept pace. My ECM pod kept him from using his missiles. He did manage to land some hits on my fuselage and right wing with his guns. _Think, what can I do to either kill him or break off his attack?_ I continued flying and I had an idea. The main control tower was still occupied by the Yukes and it was pretty tall too. _I have to time this right._ The enemy pilot was too focused on trying to shoot me down. I swung around in a wide left turn around the tower and he brought his guns to bear on me. When I saw he was about to shoot, I pulled harder into my left turn and he pulled his MiG up harder to keep his lead on me. He wasn't paying attention to his surroundings and crashed into the fortress control tower.

"Did you just see what the Captain made that pilot do?" shouted Kyle.

"Amazing, I don't think I'll ever be as good as Blaze," said Kei.

"Allied plane, we're moving into position to attack the last bunker. We're requesting close air support against the remaining bunkers. Let's finish this."

"Alright, we're coming in," I replied.

Chopper and I strafed the two remaining bunkers, while Kei and Grimm followed us in and dropped their remaining JDAMs. The bunkers didn't stay silent for long and started firing on the ground forces again. My team only had their guns left, but I still had my rockets. I doubled back and attacked the bunkers from the front. I fired half of my remaining rockets into each of the bunkers and pulled out of my attack. The ground forces started to advance again while Wardog circled overhead to stave off any more enemy attackers.

"They better capture those bunkers fast, we don't have any more weapons other than our guns," said Chopper.

"I only got one sidewinder left and I'm almost out of ammo on my gun," I said.

"Captain this is Birdy, I'm not reading anymore enemy aircraft of radar. I think they abandoned the fortress," said Erica.

"Attention all forces, all bunkers are silenced. We've captured the entire fortress," said a ground Commander.

We could hear the ground forces cheering over the radio when they heard the news. One guy was even told that his wife had given birth to his son. _I hope he's able to go home one day and hold his own son._ We formed up and headed back towards Sand Island as the rain stopped. Kyle and Erica couldn't stop talking about how incredible today was. _Those naïve fools._


	10. Blind Spot

**Chapter 9 – Blind Spot**

**Note:** Don't try to attempt anything I describe from this Chapter. It's extremely dangerous and I don't want someone injuring someone else because they want to see if it works. Believe me, IT DOES and if you want to see it, YouTube it. That way you can blame it on them instead of me. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

**November 2, 2010 0554hrs Sand Island AFB**

"No Kei, once you lock your opponents arm, you can manipulate it a bunch of different ways. Since your strong point is grappling, you would throw him to the ground then lock his arm anyway you'd like or you could break it, but that's entirely up to you. The point of what I'm trying to teach you is to neutralize your opponent and move on. When you're in the fight for your life, there are no rules; you fight to stay alive," I said.

We were the only two people in the gym. Kei and I woke up earlier than usual so I could teach her some more of the hand-to-hand combat I knew. It felt strange teaching her more ways to severely hurt someone, but I didn't teach her anything that I knew that could kill someone. I tried my best explaining it to her and she caught on for the most part, but today she had a hard time comprehending what I was trying to say.

"But the way you're describing it seems like the point of all this is to kill your opponent and move onto the next one," she said.

"Exactly, however I taught myself to disable my opponent so that he/she no longer poses a threat. For example, when I knocked you unconscious last time, I could've left you lying there and you would've been out for a couple of hours if I didn't try and wake you up. I could've done it a bunch of other ways too."

"How exactly?" asked Kei.

"It mostly centers around striking certain pressure points on the body. For me, the best combinations are centered around the arms, chest, and head because that's where I'm most comfortable, but I can do it from other parts of the body as well. There's one I like to use when I'm trying to stop someone before he/she starts something where I strike three points simultaneously and then they're out cold."

"Can you show me?" said Kei.

"I don't know, can I?" I said and she gave me an annoyed look.

"May you please show me how to do it?"

"Alright, but only because you asked nicely; now there are two ways you can do this, but both of them involve striking your opponents foot either here or here," I said pointing out the points around Kei's ankle. "Then, you strike right here, a bit further up the rib cage, with your left palm open. Then for the final point, you hit right here, just below the left collar bone, with your knuckles or with the tips of your fingers." I said as I pointed out the spots on her body.

"The other way you could do it is by hitting this pressure point here, on both sides of the neck with the sides of your hands." I said rubbing the side of her neck and she giggled a little.

"So you mean like this," said Kei as she attempted to knock me out by using what I just showed her.

I deflected both of her arms and lifted my foot up before she could hit it. But as I deflected her arms away, she managed to grab one of them, hip toss me to the floor, and twisted my arm. _Ugh, this woman must love hurting me. _I swung my leg up behind me and hit Kei in the back of her knee, causing her to get down on one knee. As she soon as she knelt down, I grabbed her shoulder, pulled her to the ground onto her back, rolled on top of her, and pinned her. She tried struggling to get out but gave up when she realized she couldn't.

"Almost, but not quite," I said as I leaned in and kissed her.

I let go of her arms and was about to get up when she pulled me down and kissed me again. Her legs were wrapped around my waist as we continued to make out in the middle of the ring. _We can't let this go too far._ We stayed like this for about half a minute before we heard someone running down the hallway towards the gym and we quickly separated. I got up and I helped Kei get on her feet when Grimm entered the gym in his flight suit. He was out of breath and panting heavily as he tried telling us something.

"Sir, we have a mission briefing in three minute. I've been looking everywhere for you, have you been here all night?" said Grimm.

"No we got here at 0500," said Kei as we scrambled to get all of our stuff together and ran out of the gym.

We raced for the briefing room while we were still wearing our workout clothes. I didn't even have time to put on my shoes as we rushed out. _Why do we have a briefing this early?_ I wasn't in the mood for a sortie this early in the morning, especially after all the crap we went through yesterday with the invasion. All that physical and mental stress still had me pretty worn out. Flying while I was tired was one of the worst feelings in the world, to me at least. But sprinting for the briefing room took care of that feeling.

I was surprised at how fast Grimm was able to out run me and Kei. _He must've run track or something._ I probably might have been able to run faster if I hadn't stubbed my toe while trying to turn a corner and if I had my shoes on. The floors were cold and I could start to feel my feet go numb as we continued sprinting. _At least I'm getting in my morning run._

We got to the briefing room and saw Chopper, Erica Boldman, and Kyle Nelms waiting for us along with two other people I haven't seen before. They introduced themselves as 1st lieutenant Justin Hardin, call sign: Wildcat, and 2nd lieutenant Michelle Rockford, call sign: Valkyrie. They were going to be our two extra copilots in the event we decided to fly four, two seated planes today. We entered the room and took our seats as Captain Hamilton looked at me and Kei in total confusion.

"Captain, is there a reason you and 1st lieutenant Nagase aren't in uniform?" he asked.

"Sorry sir, we were in the gym when Grimm told us we had a briefing so we had to rush over here without changing," I said.

Captain Hamilton could only look down and shake his head in disbelief. Chopper was snickering at our misfortune as Hamilton started the briefing. The Yukes had taken heavy losses when Osean forces invaded Yuktobania yesterday. The landing forces preceded further inland and managed to occupy most of the Peninsula. As the Osean army pushed further inland, the Yukes were airlifting their forces out of the area so they could regroup and strengthen their defenses to halt the Osean advance. If the Yukes managed to regroup enough of their forces, they could hold off the Osean army long enough to launch a counter attack strong enough push them out of Yuktobania altogether. Wardog was assigned to intercept the transport planes and halt the retreat. It seemed simple enough.

After the briefing, Kei and I headed back to our quarters to get ready and start the day. It surprised me that no one, not even Colonel Perrault, mentioned the fact that we were rooming together. Nothing happened between Kei and I that would get us in serious trouble if anyone found out. We never changed our clothes in front of each other and we never slept together, except for that one night when the war started. I guess that's why no one really gave us a ration of crap about it, or maybe it was because we saved the other rooms for pilots who would sometimes come through and have to spend the night at Sand Island.

I got done with my shower and headed back towards the room to get some of my things. Kei usually would still be in the shower by the time I got back, but not today. I opened the door just in time to see Kei wrap her towel around her body before I could see anything. I made eye contact with her for a split second and quickly left the room shutting the door behind me. I was blushing and I thought I could see her blushing as well.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see anything, I swear," I said through the door.

"Did you need something?" I heard Kei ask from the other side.

"Yeah, I need to get my watch and my PDA. They're on the table right next to the window."

I could hear her as she walked to the other side of the room and got my stuff. The door opened wide enough so that she could fit her arm through and she handed me my things.

"Are you sure you didn't see anything," she asked while giving me a look as if she thought I was bullshitting her.

"I swear I didn't see anything Kei," I said and she closed the door. _Did you want me to see anything? _

After that little incident, I headed towards the mess hall to get some breakfast but we were scheduled to take off in seven minutes. I asked the guys in the kitchen if they could pack me a bag or something to help me out because I was starving. They packed me a ham, egg, and cheese sandwich, an apple, and a bottle of orange juice and gave me another bag for Kei because she hadn't eaten either. I took both bags and headed for the flight line. I saw everyone, except for Kei, standing at the entrance of one of the hangers and I joined them to tell them how today was going to work.

We were going to fly F-15Es equipped with four sidewinders, four sparrows, and two external fuel tanks. Michelle was going to be my WSO and Justin was going to be Chopper's. Kei and Grimm were going to be partnered with the same people they flew with yesterday. Chopper started complaining about how he wasn't paired with a girl like Grimm and I were.

"Chopper, do you ever shut the hell up? I swear you could complain about anything," I said.

"You're right Kid, I can complain about anything and I will complain about everything. All of you get a chance to flirt with someone while I got this guy who might try and play grab ass with me!"

"I'm already married," said Justin showing his wedding band. "And besides, I don't think any woman would find those goofy ass sideburns of yours attractive."

"I like them and that's all that matters," said Chopper as he walked towards his plane with Justin.

I saw Kei step onto the flight line and she started to walk towards me. She looked like she was still blushing from when I saw her earlier. _Why doesn't she seem to believe me?_ I walked over to her and handed her breakfast bag.

"I figured you'd probably be hungry since we didn't have a chance to eat breakfast so I asked the kitchen staff to help us out," I said.

"Thanks, so who's your WSO?" asked Kei.

"Rockford, you're paired with the same guy from yesterday."

I saw Kei shoot a jealous glance at Michelle. Michelle was a very good looking woman, but I still would've chosen Kei when it came down to it. I guess mainly because I didn't like it when military regs stated all women had to have their hair up in a bun. If Michelle had her blonde hair down, then maybe that would've made my choice between them harder. However, I was already in a relationship with Kei and I was the faithful type. _I'd love to see a cat fight between these two, but I couldn't do that to them._

"Hey, is there something wrong?" I asked.

Kei looked at me and smiled to cover up her jealousy, but I saw right through it. She didn't want me to know she was jealous, but she didn't know I was jealous of Kyle. _I don't have anything to be worried about, if she's jealous of my WSO then that means she only has her eyes set on me._

"Yeah I'm fine, see you up in the air," said Kei and she walked to her plane.

We all strapped in and ignited out engines. Grimm led us onto the primary runway and we took off. As we formed up and headed to the AO, Thunderhead came over the radio and gave us the sitrep on the retreating enemy forces. They were already taking off and they were headed to their destination and if we maintained our current speed, we would arrive too late and they would escape. We increased our throttle and hurried towards our AO, but it would still take some time to for us to get there.

"Man, I just wanted to have a nice quiet flight on the way towards our AO, and then Thunderhead has to come along and ruin it just by saying one sentence," said Chopper.

"Well we never get to have a nice, quiet ride towards the AO because you can never shut up," I said.

"Well I could probably stop talking long enough if I had some music to listen to, but the regs say we can't."

"Chopper, turn your radio to frequency 182MHz and shut up," I said.

Chopper did what I asked and by his reaction, I had made him one happy guy. He could listen to some music while we could fly peacefully. I activated the auto pilot on my F-15 and started to eat my breakfast. I must've been hungry because I ate it all within a couple of minutes. The food from the mess hall usually sucked, but not today. I looked over at Kei and I could see her eating as well.

"So Captain, how does it feel knowing your squad is the most experienced squadron in the entire Osean air force?" asked Michelle.

"It feels like we're pulling all the weight in air war," I said.

"But it must feel good knowing that you and your team are the top scoring aces of out of all the other pilots in the country, right?"

I didn't answer her because I didn't feel good about it at all. Everyone expects us to take pride in killing someone, or almost killing someone. I don't know exactly how many enemy pilots, whom I've fought with, were dead or how many survived. I knew somebody somewhere would never forgive me for what I've done, and that's what really bothered me.

"I don't think they actually take pride in risking someone's life in a dogfight Valkyrie," said Justin.

"But their just shooting down planes, it's not like the pilot can't escape…"

"They don't always have a chance to escape from their planes, Rockford," I snapped.

No one can understand the effects war can have on a person unless they've actually been in one. It can change a person if they let it, and that's easier said than done. I needed to take my mind off of all of this so I tuned into the same frequency as Chopper and started to listen to the music that was being broadcasted over the channel. "Face of the Coin", it was okay but it wasn't my favorite song.

**1011hrs Dresdene Yuktobania **

"Hey Kid, did you take a listen to that song?" asked Chopper.

"I sure did," I replied.

"Yeah "Face of the Coin", I love that song."

"I got a single enemy contact dead ahead, Edge, engaging."

"Blaze, engaging"

"Archer, engaging"

"Whoops, Chopper, engaging"

Kei had the first lock and fired a sparrow at the enemy plane. We watched as the missile flew towards the target and buried itself inside the enemy plane and explode.

"Kill confirmed, let's go get those transports," I said and we sped forward.

We could hear General Howell broadcasting over the radio, trying to justify the Osean invasion of Yuktobania to its citizens. _They're not going to understand or they're going to refuse to believe that their own government started the war._ He was wasting his breath and we all knew it. We got within visual range of the enemy transport planes. There were only three of them as I acquired a lock on one of them. As I was about to fire, more radar signatures appeared.

"Unbelievable!" shouted Kei.

"We gotta bag all these planes?" asked Chopper.

"You think every enemy plane in the area is up and flying?" asked Grimm

"Well let's ask 'em. Hey, how many plane you got there? ... Man, this is makin' me cry," said Chopper as he fired a missile at one of the planes.

We watched as the missile kept going and going. _It should've hit by now, what's going on?_ Chopper's missile missed its mark. Something wasn't right about all of this.

"There are way too many signatures on radar; Kid, Nagase how 'bout you guys?" said Chopper.

"I'm getting false signatures and a lot of static," I said.

"My radar's showing strange results as well, something's going on," said Kei.

_She's right, there's something's messing with our radar._ I started scanning the sky above me when I spotted a white dot against the clear blue sky at twelve o' clock high. I took out my binoculars and saw an E-767 with Yuktobanian markings on it.

"Valkyrie, you see that E-767 at our twelve o' clock high?" I said. "Mark it on our radar and relay the information to the others."

"So it's… a trick?" said Chopper.

"Captain, this is Birdy, there are four formations of enemy transports in the area. There's probably a jammer covering each of them," said Erica.

"Alright people, take out those jammers first then worry about the transport planes. Edge you're with me. Chopper, take Grimm and take care of the formations further north," I ordered.

Kei joined on my wing and we gained altitude to meet the E-767. Its ECM was active so neither of us could get a missile lock on it. I closed in, got within gun range, and opened fire on its left engine. My 20mm shells score direct hits on the engine and it started trailing smoke, but my radar didn't clear up.

"Sir, try aiming for its radar dish. That should clear up the radar," said Kyle.

I fired on the radar support beams and saw it rip off and hit the vertical stabilizer of the E-767. I barrel rolled over it just in time to avoid hitting it. I watched at the jammer aircraft nosed over into a dive and crash into the mountain range below.

I rejoined Kei and Kyle as they shot down the enemy transport planes. Kyle called out three enemy fighters that were converging on our location from our 10 o'clock low.

"Hold on Valkyrie and get ready for some fancy flying," I said.

I followed Kei as she dove into the enemy formation of Su-27s. She targeted the flight lead and dove on him at high speed. When Kei got within range, she fired on him with her gun and hit his engines, causing them to trail smoke and fire. The pilot lost control of his plane and bailed out.

The other two fighters scattered and we split up to engage them. I latched onto one of the Su-27s and followed him as he dove for the deck. He was flying too close to the mountains and it would only be a matter of time before one, or both of us crashed because of pilot error. The mountains were almost within arm's reach as they passed by my canopy.

"Captain, pull out! Are you insane?" shouted Michelle.

I didn't bother responding and continued chasing my target. I had a missile lock, but with the way he was weaving through the mountain made it impossible for the missile to track him successfully without impacting a mountain first. _I could try and scare him like I did Kei when we were at Heierlark._ I let loose a burst from my gun and he pulled his Su-27 up to gain altitude. I still had a missile lock on him but he was too close. The explosion would damage my plane as well. The Su-27 leveled off and performed a Kulbit and I shot right past him.

"Captain, he's on our tail!" shouted Michelle.

_No shit!_ As soon as he regained his speed, he fired a burst from his gun and I easily dodged it by performing the barrel roll that never failed me and I was back on his tail. Within milliseconds of me getting into position, I opened fire with my gun and scored multiple hits on his plane's fuel tanks and watched it explode.

"Edge, how you doing over there, sweetheart," I said. _Why did I just call her sweetheart?_

"I'm headed back your way now. We should hurry up and take out the next formation of transport planes before they get away," said Kei.

"Alright, Smokey you still with us?"

"Yes sir," he said breathing heavily. "Sorry I'm out of breath, I'm still trying to get used to all this combat maneuvering."

As we headed for the next formation, we continued to listen in on General Howell's broadcast. He wanted the Yuke civilians to join the Osean military cause. _He actually thinks the Yukes are going to turn their backs on their government?_ I could understand that he was trying to come under a banner of peace for the civilians; however I still doubted the Yukes would care.

"Hey, you think it's going be that easy?" asked Chopper.

"No, even if their government is in the wrong, the civilians would still look to them for support," I replied.

"Yeah, I don't think so either."

We got within visual range of the next enemy formation. They had more fighter cover and the transport planes were still mixed in with false radar signatures created by the E-767. _Damn, this is getting annoying_.

"Smokey, Valkyrie, keep your eyes open for those jammers," I said.

"Way ahead you, Captain. I see one at our two o' clock high," said Michelle.

"Captain, this is Wildcat, we just shot down the two jammers covering the transport formations to the north of your position. We're still experiencing some radar interference but I assume it should clear up once you take out the last jammer," said Justin.

Kei and I climbed up to meet it and we shot it down using our guns again. Several of the remaining radar blips disappeared, and we engaged the escort fighters first. There were ten enemy fighters and they were coming at us in formation. Our WSOs managed to lock onto multiple targets for us and we launched all of our sparrow missiles towards them. Most of them found their mark except one of them missed. We only had to deal with four enemy Su-27s, but this was going to be tricky.

"Edge, take the lead, I'll go trail and follow," I said.

"Blaze, I'm supposed to protect you. Not the other way…"

"Woman, don't argue with me. Just do it," I yelled.

"Lighten up Kid, she's just trying to look out for ya," said Chopper.

_I know, but I'm trying to look out for her. _Kei took the lead and I followed her as the enemy formation came at us from head on. We were closing in too fast for us to get a missile lock and we passed each other. Kei continued to head for the transport planes and the enemy formation turned to pursue us.

"Valkyrie, get ready to launch flares when they fire their missiles," I order.

Kei got within range to fire one of her sidewinders at a transport plane and she took the shot. Her missile blew off the wing off of the transport she was aiming at. Kei then broke off her attack when the enemy fighter formation got within range to engage me.

"Edge, keep going while I clear our six," I said.

"Say… laze…break…up," said Kei.

"Keep going." I shouted.

Michelle launched a set of flares as a missile came streaking towards us. I barrel rolled behind the enemy formation and had all four of them in my sights. I managed to fill one Su-27 full of lead before two of them broke off. I acquired a missile lock on the fighter that was tailing Kei and fired. The missile impacted above the cockpit and the plane broke apart as if fell towards the ground.

"Cap…..hind us!" I heard Michelle scream.

I looked back and saw the other two enemy planes chasing me. I tried hailing Kei over the radio but all I could hear in response was static. _Dammit, can she hear me?_ I pushed the throttle all the way forward and my F-15 took off. I was banking left and right trying to shake off my attackers but they were glued to me. I was still looking for Kei and I still couldn't find her. I couldn't do my barrel roll over my pursuers because they had given me a wide berth.

They had a missile lock on me and fired. I could see it coming and I broke hard to my right. I watched as it flew right past me, narrowly hitting my canopy. The maneuver had robbed my plane of precious air speed and the enemy planes closed in on me. _They're going to try and shoot me down with their guns now!_

"Captain …of us, do some….," shouted Michelle.

As the lead Su-27 closed in and fired, I rolled my plane over and dove for the deck at full speed. I was able to lose him but his wingman was still following me. I pulled out of the dive and watched as a stream of bullets passed by my right wing. I broke left and saw the Su-27 overshoot. I applied full throttle and got behind him. I had a missile lock but I had to break off because the other Su-27 was diving on me.

Just then, I saw Kei streak in from my twelve o' clock and fire a missile on my attacker. It impacted right in the middle of the plane and it almost completely disappeared into thin air. I saw that I was clear and reengaged my target. I was in gun range and I fired a hail of bullets that seemed to cut his plane in half, right down the middle. The Su-27 literally folded in half as the pilot bailed out.

"Edge, do you read me?" I said.

"I can't…. you….with… radio," I heard Kei say.

I looked over at her plane and I could see Kyle signaling me with his hands that there was something causing interference with our radios.

"….enemy….jamming waves…interference," said Thunderhead.

"This is the 8492nd leader, all 8492nd units, proceed as planned," said a voice on the radio.

I could hear the voice loud and clear, but I still couldn't get a clear response over the radio from anyone else in my squad. We had already shot down all the jammers, but what was causing the radio interference? _Was I the only one who heard that voice on the radio?_

"Hey, Kid, you… the… pre…join….Air….?" said Chopper.

"Uhh, yeah sure," I replied even though I had no idea what he said.

"Yeah, I agree…. …..completely Na…..ha," said Chopper as I heard him laugh at what he just said.

"It's…jammed!" shouted Grimm.

"ECCM, restore communication link!" shouted Thunderhead.

Thunderheads ECCM, or Electronic Counter Counter-Measure, was finally able to clear up the radio interference and tuned us into an enemy radio communications channel. We continued to approach the remaining transport planes when we heard someone say that Osean planes were firing on a school packed with civilians at an engineering college. Thunderhead broadcasted an order telling them to hold fire.

"What idiot's doing that?" shouted Chopper.

"Attention, units operating in sector Charlie Omega, attacks on civilians are forbidden!" said Thunderhead.

Charlie Omega was only a short flight to the northwest of our location. We were the only Osean planes in the air that we were aware of and we sure as hell weren't attacking civilians.

"Hell, that's where we're supposed to be operating; do you see those idiots anywhere?"

"I'm no joy, radar isn't picking up any other friendlies in the area," said Erica.

Our radars weren't picking up any friendly IFF signature. We didn't know what was going on or who was violating orders. I asked the others if they heard that radio transmission about the 8492nd squadron and they all said they did.

"Why would someone attack a college?" asked Michelle.

"I don't know Valkyrie, but someone else is operating here besides us," I said.

"Do you think it was those guys we heard on the radio?" asked Kyle.

"I don't know, but whoever attacked those civilians must be doing it on purpose," said Kei.

"Wardog this is Thunderhead, did you engage in an attack on a civilian facility?"

"No, we've been fifty miles southeast of that location this whole time," I said.

"Rodger so you're sure you didn't do this?"

"Why would we do that, weren't you watching from up there?" said Chopper.

Kei and I got within visual range of the remaining transport planes and engaged them. I continued to listen in on the enemy transmissions surrounding the attack. The remaining enemy escort fighters bugged out and flew to the northwest at high speed. _They must be trying to help fend off those attacking planes._

"That's what I hate about war! No matter who starts it, it always comes to this!" shouted Chopper.

"There's nothing we can do about it now Chopper, right now we have to take care of these transport planes," I said.

"But Captain, we can be in that area in a few minutes and lend those people some aid," said Justin.

"We can't, if we go anywhere near that area, they'll confirm our presence there and we'll more than likely get blamed for it too."

I locked onto one of the transport planes and fired a missile at it. The transport planes right engines started smoking and I saw its wing dip down and fall out of the sky. With no fighter escort to protect them, the remaining transport planes were totally defenseless. Kei got behind the last transport plane and lined up her shot. She launched a sidewinder at the last transport plane and it impacted the outer left engine casing the outer left wing to tear off and send the transport plane into an inverted spiral.

"Alright people, form up on me and let's get back to Sand Island. God knows what the brass is going to do to us when we get back," I said.

"But we didn't do anything Captain, we were here the whole time when that area got attacked," said Erica.

"But it was in the area we were supposed to be operating in. If Air Command can't figure out who attacked the place then we're going to take the blame for this SNAFU (Situation Normal, All Fucked Up), "said Chopper.

"Thunderhead, this is Wardog leader, can you confirm our location during the time of the attack?" I asked.

"Negative Wardog leader, the enemy jamming waves started two minute prior to the attack and they're still interfering with our radar. What's your current location?"

"02⁰39'14" north by 117⁰31'59" east, we've just finished shooting down the enemy transport planes and we're RTB towards Sand Island," I replied.

"Roger Wardog."

This whole situation had me pissed off. _There's some reason as to why they attacked that area, but why?_ Every one of us felt helpless, due to the fact that we would just be digging ourselves deeper into a hole we were already in. We couldn't do anything to stop the attack or prove that we weren't there.

**1342hrs Sand Island AFB**

We landed back at Sand Island and we received an unfriendly welcome from some of the ground crew, security guards, and other base personnel demanding our heads. One guy managed to sum up the courage to try and attack my copilot and he found himself on the ground with a bloody nose and broken finger. The eight of us could do nothing but stand with our backs against our planes as they continued to scorn us for something that we didn't do until the security team was finally able to escort us away from them.

In the locker room, we could only continue to talk about what had happened and why we were being blamed for it. No one else could prove our innocence during the attack and the fact that we were operating close to that area didn't help our case either.

"How bad do you think the brass is going to stick it to us?" asked Chopper.

"We'll probably get a dishonorable discharged and thrown in jail afterwards," said Kyle.

"Not before we get court martialed for it first," added Justin as he hung up his flight gear.

"We could probably use our black boxes in our planes as evidence to prove our innocence," suggested Grimm.

His suggestion could've been our only way out of this mess. I grabbed my PDA and walked out of the locker room. I headed for the hanger where I had parked my F-15 and opened the hatch where the black box was. It recorded all radio transmissions that my radio had receive and sent throughout the mission. I was about to download all the radio transmissions from today's mission to my PDA when a thought occurred to me. _Wouldn't this be considered tampering with evidence?_

I hesitated and continued debating whether or not I should do it. _If I don't, there's a chance that someone else might be involved and erase all the data._ I didn't know what to do, but I had to do something. I hooked up my PDA and downloaded the data. This had to count for something in the long run.

Just then I was ordered to report to Colonel Perrault's office. I knew it was only a matter of time before he wanted to talk to me. I headed for the Colonel's office and I got some nasty looks from some of the people along the way there. _Just try and start something with me, see if it doesn't bit you in the ass._ I was in a bad mood and I wanted them to try and jump me.

I stepped into Perrault's office and presented myself. There were two security guards standing against the wall next to the door in his office, just in case. The Colonel was sitting down, elbows on his desk, holding his hands together in front of his mouth. I could almost see him smiling as he stared at me.

"Captain, there comes a point in every military man's life when he feels like he's on top of the world. You must've felt very powerful the day the brass made you Captain, am I right?" said Perrault.

"Not really, sir," I said. I did feel a little bit of pride when I was promoted, but mostly nervous about it.

"'Not really' implies that you still felt powerful even if it was just a little," said the Colonel as he stood up and walked towards me. "I remember the day your mother and her boyfriend, Harkin, got passed over for promotion for abandoning their post some years back. They must've thought they could've screwed around and no one would notice, but I did."

I clenched my fists when he told me this. I had to try and fight the urge to deck him right then and there. I couldn't do nothing except stand there and continue listening.

"Of course when I reported them, the brass couldn't prove that they were screwing around, but I knew the truth."

_Of course you do, you sent them across the base then denied ever telling them to do so, you fat bastard!_

"What's your point Colonel?" I asked.

He smiled and continued walking around me as I just stood there. "My point is Captain, that the truth is always out there, but only you know what really happened. However, that doesn't mean you're going to tell the truth to the court when you try to defend yourself against the war crimes you and you team committed today."

"My team never attacked a civilian target while we were on mission," I said frustrated.

"Oh really, then how do you explain the reports of a flight of four F-15s with Osean military markings attacking a Yuktobanian college?" shouted Perrault.

I didn't know what type of planes were used to attack the college and the fact that we were flying F-15 Strike Eagles didn't help our case any. I wanted to say it was a coincidence, but I never believed in coincidences so my argument would've been invalid.

"Then there must've been another flight of Osean F-15s in the area. My squad was busy shooting down the transport planes as we were ordered, sir."

"Next I bet you're going to tell me that those transport planes looked like buildings, aren't you?" he said sneering at me.

"You son of a bitch, we didn't attack any civilians!" I shouted as I advanced towards him.

The security guards quickly grabbed me and held me back before I could get any closer to Colonel Perrault. I could've easily gotten loose, but I didn't even bother trying. I knew what would happen if I struck Perrault, I wouldn't have had the chance to get a court martial before I was thrown out of the military.

"As far as I can tell Castillo, you and your team are all guilty. I hope the brass understands now why I told them making you Captain was a mistake. Get him out of my sight!" And with that the guards dragged me out of his office.

I went to my room and got on my laptop to send a message to Lieutenant Colonel Harkin about the whole situation. He was one of the few people in the military who knew I would never do anything like this. I didn't care if he could've helped us out or not but I just wanted him to know my side of the story.

After I was done with Perrault, I went to the mess hall to get some lunch. The kitchen staff wasn't too thrilled to see me after they heard about what everyone thought we did. The rest of my team was sitting at a table away from everyone else. _It probably wasn't their choice to sit away from them_. I took a seat beside Kei and started eating.

"So Captain, why do you think anyone would want to attack civilians," asked Grimm.

"Because they probably wanted to give the Yuke civilians more reason to ignore General Howell's little friendly broadcast," said Chopper.

"It's not like they would've listened to it anyways," said Justin.

"Yeah but if everyone knew they wouldn't listen to the broadcast, attacking them seems kind of pointless, right?" asked Erica.

"Yeah it does, but there's got to be more to it than that," said Justin.

We continued talking on the subject when Genette walked up to our table, pen and pad in hand. I could see where this was going. He was going to ask us about our involvement in the attack.

"Sorry to bother you, but I was hoping to get your side of the story," said Genette.

"What have you heard?" I asked glaring at him.

"Well I heard that you attacked a college campus in Yuktobania and I just wanted to know why you'd attack a civilian facility."

Chopper slammed his hands on the table and got up. "You want to know why we did it?" shouted Chopper. He grabbed Genette by the collar of his shirt and pushed him against a wall. "We didn't do it and the last thing we need is some nosey ass reporter spreading false news about us!"

Grimm, Kyle and, I tried to separate them both before anything got out of hand. I could see the fear in Genette's eyes as Chopper held him against the wall and we quickly broke it up. Chopper walked out of the mess hall before he tried to hurt anyone else and I quickly turned to Genette.

"Genette, all you need to know is that we didn't kill any civilians and that we're not talking to you about this matter. Now I couldn't give a rat's ass about you gaining popularity with the press so don't bother trying to get anything out of us," I said.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend anyone," said Genette. "I just wanted to…."

"Just go!"

He left the mess hall and we took our seats to finish our meal. I honestly didn't like Genette because he was a reporter and tried to get every little detail about our thoughts on the war and our missions. In short, he was too fucking nosey. We had just taken our seats again when Captain Hamilton approached us and started talking to us.

"Captain, you and your team are ordered to pack your bags with everything you'll need for a court martial on the fourth of this month. The same goes for your copilots. You'll be leaving once your military escort arrives," said Hamilton.

"Yes sir," I replied and I went back to finishing my lunch.

When we were done, we headed back to our quarters to pack. I packed my Alphas, the green colored uniform that's the US Marine equivalent to a business suit, a change of clothes, an extra flight suit, my hygiene kit, my laptop, and my MP3 player. I had never seen Osean military uniforms other than the ones I've seen Captain Hamilton and Colonel Perrault wear. I saw Kei pack a black skirt and dress shoes that she had to wear with her white shirt.

"I can't believe I have to wear this thing again," groaned Kei.

"At least I get to see your legs again," I joked.

"What do you…?" Kei stated to say when she remembered this morning. She looked at me while blushing.

"I only saw your legs, your towel, and your head," I said trying to reassure her I didn't see any other part of her body. "You have some very nice looking legs by the way."

I could see her blushing even more and she threw one of her dirty shirts at me. She continued packing her bag and finally said something back.

"You have a very nice chest," said Kei nervously and I blushed.

I heard a knock on our door and I got up to answer it. It was a security team that had to escort us to Oured. I picked up my bag and followed Kei out of the door. We followed our escort to the flight line and waited for the others of my team to show up. I looked around and didn't see a transport plane anywhere on the flight line. _How are we going to get to Oured?_

As soon as the rest of my team arrived, the security team led us to our F-15s and told us to put our bags in the storage pods that had been hooked up to our planes. _We're taking our planes with us to Oured?_ I looked further down the flight line and saw four F-22 Raptors being refueled and rearmed.

"They expect us to fly our planes to Oured by ourselves," said Grimm.

"No, they'll probably have fighters escorting us along the way," said Justin.

"Why couldn't they have just taken us in a transport plane?" asked Michelle.

"Because, all available transport planes are being used to fly in supplies for our troops in Yuktobania," We turned around to see Captain Hamilton walking towards us. "You'll be escorted to Oured by those pilots flying those F-22s further down the flight line. Your planes will be stripped of everything except for those external fuel tanks and your storage pods."

"Captain, you don't believe that we actually did any of this, do you?" asked Kei.

"I believe you're all innocent, but not everyone in the Osean military does," said Captain Hamilton. "There's nothing I can do to try and help you, however I'll still be trying to coordinate with Thunderhead and try to dig up something that can help you. Maybe we can get some of the reports from the Yuke pilots that left your AO to help."

_How did he know they left the area? We never got our debriefing out of the way._ Grimm was about to say something about it when I cut him off and thanked Captain Hamilton for any help he could've been. _Something was up, I don't know what it was but I knew something seemed out of place._

We got in our planes and waited for our escort to take off so they could watch us and make sure we didn't try anything funny. Our radios were being jammed so we couldn't talk to each other and the escort pilots kept their eyes on us so we couldn't communicate by hand signals either. They didn't want us to try and come up with a fake story for the jury, but they didn't know we were innocent.


	11. Retaliation

**Note: **Bear with me on some of the things I mention in this chapter. It'll all be explained later because I didn't want to give a fictional history lesson about Strangereal that could run this story dry. As this story goes on, I'll start to reveal more about Blaze too. Also I felt like I should include missions 11a and 11b for more dramatic effect I guess. I don't know, I guess I just like writing this fan fiction. I hope you like it.

**Fun Fact:** I actually had to bust out a couple of my model airplanes to help me describe one of the Dogfights.

**Chapter 10 – Retaliation**

**November 3, 2010 0600hrs Oured Osea**

We arrived in Oured sometime around 1900hrs. If I factored in the number of time zones we flew through, then we arrived in Oured at around 0100hrs. Jetlag was one of the few things I hated about flying long distances, right next to holding in my bladder. Sure we were assigned special equipment to take care of that problem but I never liked wearing it, so I rarely ever flew with it.

Anyways, we arrived late into the night and we landed at an airport close to Oured and left our planes in the hangers that airport security reserved for us. We weren't allowed to go near them after we got our bags and we couldn't come in contact with anyone else in our group. We were each escorted by four guards and rode in separate vehicles to our temporary quarters, which was hotel with guards taking shifts guarding the doors of our rooms. They wanted to make sure we couldn't escape the hotel and as another precaution, they put us on the sixth floor.

"Captain," I heard one of my guards yell as he knocked on my door.

I had just woken up when he forced his way into my room and started telling me to get ready to meet my attorney. _What the hell am I going to need an attorney for? It's not like he/she could build a solid case for me in one day._ The guard kept shouting at me to get out of bed and that I've had enough sleep for the night. _Four hours isn't enough sleep for me, asshole._

"Captain, get your ass out of bed," shouted the guard.

I looked at his uniform and I noticed he was an MP, but what really got my attention was that he was a Staff Sergeant. I didn't like pulling rank on people but this little shit was asking for it.

"What the hell did you just say Staff Sergeant?" I said as I got out of bed.

"I said get your ass out of bed, now!" said the MP, trying to maintain some kind of authority over me.

"Staff Sergeant, I suggest you watch your mouth before I kick your ass down to an E-1," I said trying to intimidate him.

"You can't do that," said the MP.

"Oh but I can. You see, you're supposed to be guarding me and prevent me from communicating with my team, who happen to be in custody under suspicion of war crimes that we haven't been convicted of yet. So in short, I own your ass because I still have my rank. What do you think your CO is going to say when a Captain reports you for insubordination?" I yelled.

The MP could only look at me because he knew I was right. If I was found guilty of the charges that were placed on us, he could've ordered me around all he wanted. This was the first time I actually cracked the whip on someone and I actually liked it. It made me feel like I actually had authority over someone, even though I did have authority over Wardog, this felt different.

"My apologies sir, but you have to get ready to meet with your attorney," said the MP.

"I heard you the first time, now get the hell out of my sight," I said and the MP left my room.

I took a shower, shaved and got dressed. According to my regs, I wasn't allowed to wear any of my uniforms outside of a military base so I had to dress casual. Blue jeans, a white t-shirt, my black hoodie, and my black sneakers spelt freedom to me. I forgot how good it felt to be back in casual clothes after almost a month of wearing nothing but my flight suit. The MP noticed how I was dressed when I opened my door so he could escort me to the vehicle that would take me to meet my attorney somewhere in Oured.

"Sir, you're supposed to be in uniform," said the MP.

"I'm not part of the Osean military and my regs state that I can't be in uniform if I'm not on a military base," I told him.

He was about to start arguing with me but then he stopped himself. I guess he was going to see if I was in the wrong and rub it in my face afterwards. We headed down stairs and I could see the rest of my squad getting into their vehicles. They were all wearing their uniforms and looked at me in total confusion when they saw how I was dressed. I was restricted from talking with them and I couldn't tell them why I wasn't wearing my uniform. _I'll tell them later_.

The drive towards our destination was extremely uncomfortable. I had to sit between two MP who just looked straight ahead the entire time like statues. They didn't say a single word, nor did they move at all. _My God, I'd never have thought that I'd miss Chopper's bitching this much_. I tried readjusting myself in my seat once and the MPs quickly had their hands on their nightsticks ready to beat the hell out of me. I was so happy when we finally got to where we were headed.

We had arrived at a restaurant somewhere in downtown Oured and we went inside. The place was surrounded by taller buildings and the interior of the restaurant seemed like a place for stuck up rich people to dine at. Wine glasses were already set out, along with silverware that had been placed in the proper location. Neatly folded napkins were set on top of plates and a decoration of some kind was placed in the middle of each table. Elegant chandeliers hung from the ceiling and natural light poured through the windows and lite up the whole dining room.

The place was completely empty besides from a few people in suits who I didn't recognize and additional MPs. There was also another person who was sitting near the bar and I couldn't see his face because he was reading a newspaper that he held up. The MPs directed us to sit with our assigned attorney and we sat down at their tables. I was told to sit with the guy reading the newspaper.

"Sir, Captain Antonio Castillo will be you client today," said an MP as I took my seat.

"Yes, I'm well aware of that, now please take your leave," said the man to the MP. "Seems like you and your friends are knee deep in the shit, eh Captain?"

"Yes sir, but no one would believe us when we told them what happened," I said.

"I believe you, but whoever did it has the entire Yuktobanian nation demanding the blood of those who did and the news articles about the attack aren't the least bit sympathetic to whoever did it," said the man.

He folded up the newspaper and set it on the table so I could finally see his face, it was Lieutenant Colonel Harkin. I was in total shock when I saw that it was him. I was grateful that he was here but things must've been worse than I suspected if he had to try and defend me and my team from the accusations. I was about to say his name out of pure joy but the look he gave me suggested that I shouldn't.

"What are you doing here sir?" I asked quietly.

"I'm here to help you get out of this mess Kid, but after everything that's happened and after all the reports that are still coming in, it might be damn near impossible to clear your guys' names," he whispered and he looked around before he continued. "Now listen, all you need to know is that I had to kiss a lot of asses to get here and if anyone finds out who I really am and that you know me, I won't be able to help you so for now, my name is Colton Greer and I'll be your attorney."

"Yes Sir Mr. Greer," I said and we got to work.

Lieutenant Colonel Harken was able to pull a few strings for us, like set us up in this restaurant so we could all have breakfast while we each gave our sides of the story. I told Lieutenant Colonel Harkin everything that happened yesterday from when we woke up, to when I went to sleep. He listened and wrote down everything, including my relationship with Kei. He would stop me at certain point so I could give him more detail about some of the things I mentioned.

"So tell me again about that transmission you heard while your radios were being jammed," he said.

"I heard someone identify himself as the 8492nd leader and he told all 8492nd units to proceed as planned. That was the only radio transmission that I heard clearly until Thunderhead cleared the jamming with ECCM. Soon afterwards, that was when we started hearing enemy chatter about the college being attacked," I said.

"The 8492nd squadron, eh? They were the same squadron that you said took over the rescue operation of that transport plane that you protected, right?" asked Harkin.

"Yes sir."

Harkins eyes grew dim and I could tell he was deep in thought. He slouched back in his chair, removed his glasses, and rubbed his face with his hand. He looked at me with very weary eyes and said, "They don't exist."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Harkin didn't say anything and took a drink from his coffee cup. He started flipping through some more papers that he had with him and wrote some things down. _There's something he's not telling me, but he must have a good reason._ I knew what Harkin's job in the military was and it worried me that he knew what was going to happen next in the war.

"Let me see your watch," said Harkin.

I took it off my wrist and gave it to him. It was a Timex Ironman digital watch that I had bought a few years back when Earth was still conducting economic trade with Strangereal. Now it was the only thing I had left to remind me of where I came from and it had a lot of sentimental value to me. As Lieutenant Colonel Harkin continued to examine it, I noticed that he was quietly talking to himself as he looked at it from front to back.

"Sir, what are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm thinking of a way to help you in the future, and this watch just might come in handy," said Harkin. "I know how much this means to you, but I need to take it with me back to the R&D labs."

"Why would you take it to them? I don't want anything else to do with those assholes," I protested quietly so the MPs wouldn't hear me.

I held my hand out and demanded my watch back. _I can't trust those guys in R&D, or Research and Development, after they nearly got me killed last time._ Harkin put my watch in his pocket and tried to calm me down. I was angry, partially because I wanted my watch back but now it was because of my history with the people he was talking about. Harkin knew how much I hated them after all the shit they put me through

"Listen Kid, you have to trust me on this one. They've been able to get this stuff right ever since they continued the archeological expeditions on Strangereal. You know what they've been able to accomplish ever since they discovered the ruins here, the Arkbird, those burst missiles, Excalibur, and even Stonehenge. They've been applying the stuff to create weapons, but I'm trying to get them to make better use of all this for more practical uses like tools. Please trust me," said Harkin.

I did trust Harkin and he knew just how hard it was for me to trust people, especially those who wore lab coats. I slouched back in my chair and looked the other way as I thought about it. _I know I can trust Harkin; he'd never lie to me. He might not tell me everything, but he never lied to me._

"Alright fine," I said. "But I want that thing back and I want them to make sure they can get it to work before they try doing anything to my watch."

"I'll make sure of it," said Harkin. "Now back to your defense against your charges, where are the planes you flew on the mission?"

"They're in one of the hangers over at the airport," I said.

"Alright, do the ground crews take the black boxes out of them at all?"

"Not that I'm I aware of."

"Alright, I'm going to try and see if I can get some evidence out of them. In the meantime, we're pretty much done here," said Harkin as he gathered up his papers, finished up his coffee, and then got out of his chair. "Nice clothes by the way."

I chuckled at what he said and saw the other attorneys get up and follow him out of the door as the rest of my team remained seated and we waited for the MPs to come escort us to the vehicles so we could head back to the hotel. _I hope to God that he's able to get that information in time._

**1732hrs Oured Hotel**

There was nothing to do in the hotel room I was held up in except for watching TV. The shows that they aired were just as stupid as the ones from Earth that I heard about like the Jersey Shore, and Teen mom. The reality shows of Strangereal were just as terrible, if not dumber. I decided to work out a little and do push-up, triceps dips, and leg lifts, etc. just to pass the time. Eventually, I heard a knock on my door and I answered it. One of the MPs said I had a phone call from a Mr. Greer. I picked up the phone in my room and they transferred the call.

"Hello?"

"Hey Kid, it's me," said Harkin.

"Hey, did you get what you needed from the black box?" I asked trying to be hopeful.

"That's just it, we downloaded all the information on them but nothing is there. All of the recorded radio communications are gone. Someone erased the data on all four of the black boxes."

"What? Do you know who did it?" I asked.

"No, we're trying to determine who had access to your planes ever since you got back to Sand Island yesterday. So far nothing has turned up," said Harkin. "Kid, tell me you did something you weren't supposed to and managed to get something for me."

"I need you to come to the hotel so you can get it, they still got me locked in here like a virgin on prom night," I said.

Harkin hung up on me and I grabbed my PDA. I opened the data I had downloaded off of my black box and made sure it was all there, and it was. _ Hopefully this could help us tomorrow._ I waited for the Lieutenant Colonel to get here and when he finally arrived, I handed him my PDA and showed him the information I had downloaded.

"Good, but here's the thing, we won't be able to use this in your defense because they'll consider this tampering with evidence. You can't even mention the fact that you have it recorded on here," said Harkin.

"Then how are we supposed to prove our innocence?" I asked.

Harkin could only look down and rub the back of his neck. "I don't know, you'll just have to tell the court your side of the story as best you can. I'm sorry, I can't help you anymore," said Harkin and he left.

I wanted to tell him that wasn't good enough, but I knew he was right. _Someone is trying to frame us, but why?_ I hoped Harkin was going to be able to get some information out of the data on my PDA, but I just have to wait and see what happens. I got my uniform together and I ironed my shirt and pants so I wouldn't have to worry about it in the morning. I picked out my socks, polished my shoes, and hung up my pants and shirt. I was all set to go to court tomorrow, but I wasn't looking forward to it.

**November 4, 2010 0700hrs Oured Courthouse**

The court began with everyone taking the oath to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. _I doubt the brass is going to believe us even though we swore to tell the truth._ After that was taken care of, the brass had called us in by pairs so we could give our side of the story. I was the first to go in and the brass didn't seem too thrilled to see me or Michelle. The judge was a Brigadier General and the Jury was made up of all officers who were higher ranks than me. I felt out of place among everyone else in the court room who was a member of the Osean military.

"Captain Antonio Castillo and 2nd Lieutenant Michelle Rockford, you're both here because you stand accused of attacking innocent civilians in Yuktobania, how do you plead?" 

"Not guilty," we said in unison.

We told our side of the story and everyone just listened. The judge and the jury were quietly commenting back and forth to each other about how some parts of our story were either bullshit or highly unlikely. When we told the court about the radio transmission we heard from the 8492nd squadron, the judge ordered someone to find the squadron in the military data base. We then continued telling the court what happened after we had shot down our last transport plane.

"Was you AWACS able to confirm your location after you completed your mission objective?" asked the judge.

"No, Thunderhead said that enemy jamming waves were still interfering with their radar by the time we started to head back towards Sand Island. They couldn't confirm our location when I gave it to them," I said.

After I got done sharing my side of the story, we were escorted out while Kei and Kyle were brought in. _Damn, Kei sure can rock the hell out of her uniform. _We then had to wait outside in the lobby with the others who were waiting to testify. We still couldn't talk to each other or interact with them in anyway. All we could do was sit quietly and wait. I used the time to catch up on some sleep, and I started to dream.

I was in the van with my family headed to Curtis Air Force Base to watch the summer airshow that the base hosted for the military families. I could see my dad as he opened his door to get out of the driver's seat and I saw my older sister, younger sister, and little brother with me too. My mom held my little brother in her arms as Lieutenant Colonel Harkin greeted us outside of the security checkpoint that led onto the tarmac where the rest of the crowd was sitting in the bleachers. A lady pulled up alongside us in an old 1940's military motorcycle with a sidecar and told my parents she was giving rides to all the kids and my younger sister and I asked if we could go and my dad said it was alright. We rode around with the lady for a couple of minutes and we watched some of the pilots as they performed flight demonstrations with their planes. The lady then dropped us off where our dad was waiting for us. As I got out of the sidecar, I saw a gold charm bracelet and someone had announced over the loudspeakers that whoever found it should return it to the tent near the runway. My dad went with me to return it and the lady it belonged to was married to one of the pilots. She told me that her husband would take me for a ride in any of the airplanes they had on the base.

"Captain!" I heard Michelle yell and I woke up.

"What?" I asked rubbing my eyes.

"They called us all back in," said Michelle.

I got up and entered the court room and I stood behind one of the stands next to Kei. All the lights of the court room had been shut off except for the ones that were illuminating us. _When did this turn into an interrogation? _We stood there for half a minute before the judge said anything.

"Captain, despite all the evidence that has been presented to us by your defense, we don't have enough to dismiss the charges against you and your squad. We have some questions we want to ask you before these Court Martials proceed any further," said the judge.

_What more can we tell you if you don't believe what little evidence we gave you? Are these last questions your final taunt before we go to jail? _

"You claim that you mission objective was to shoot down any enemy transport planes in the area and you encountered enemy fighter escort as well correct?"

"Yes sir, we had to stop the transports from reaching their destination and we shot down any fighter escort that got in our way," I said.

"And the enemy fighter escort that abandoned the transport planes to fend off the attackers, were they in your way?" asked the judge as he voice began to rise

"No sir, we didn't pursue them and we stuck to shooting down the remaining transport planes," I said.

"Well Yuktobanian reports claim that those fleeing pilots were shot down and killed by a flight of four Osean F-15s."

"But that wasn't us. By the time we got there they had already left our AO," said Kei.

"They must've been shot down by the 8492nd squadron. We heard the leader order the other units to proceed as planned. We didn't know what they were talking about so I assume they were the ones who attacked the college," said Justin.

"So you're trying to say the other squadron, who you somehow managed to hear through thick ECM, did it?" asked the judge.

"That's right; we heard them over the radio. They called themselves the 8492nd….." said Grimm but he was cut off by the judge.

"8492, 8492, is that all you people have to say? There is no squadron in our military with that number!" shouted the judge.

Now I understood why Harkin didn't want me to tell the court about how the 8492nd squadron provided support for the presidents transport plane. If the 8492nd weren't Osean pilots, then we were responsible for putting the president in danger.

"Dammit, what the hell's going on here!" yelled Chopper.

But before anyone could respond to what he just said, the lights came back on and an Osean Major ran into the court room and handed a piece of paper to the judge. The judge read it and by the look on his face, something was very wrong. He put the paper down and looked up at us. _This can't be good._

"We got an emergency here; our armies are bogged down with the Yuktobanian invasion, so we're short on operational aircraft. Unfortunately, as a result, we're going to have to request that you flying aces take off for us. The MPs will escort you to your planes and you'll be briefed along the way, this court is adjourned," said the judge and hit his gavel on his desk.

We all piled into two of the MPs' SUVs and headed towards the airport. We were told that terrorist had unleashed plums of toxic nerve gas in the city of Bana, which was like a two hour flight south of Oured. We were called in to spread a neutralizing agent that would stop the spread of the gas and that CDAC, or Capital District Air Command, already had specialized planes at the airport but they were sending our armament over to us.

We arrived at the airport and we rushed to change into our flight gear. This would've been a hell of a lot easier if I wasn't wearing my Alphas, otherwise I would've literally torn off my shirt instead of loosening my tie, unbuttoning my shirt, and folding it all of it nice and neatly. We finally got into our flight gear and headed out to the runway where we saw four Mirage 2000Ds waiting for us. They were tandem seated planes so we had to bring along our WSOs. The planes were equipped with six canisters of the neutralizing agent and there were no room for missiles, so the only offensive weapon we had were our guns. We got strapped into our planes and I was already having trouble getting everything to work.

"Hey, do any of you guys speak French?" I asked over the radio.

"Why the hell would that matter?" asked Chopper.

"Try starting your plane," I said and waited for a response from Chopper.

"You got to be kidding, really?" groaned Kei.

The Mirage 2000 was built by the French and for some reason; Capital District Air Command didn't bother relabeling all the instruments when they got their hands on these planes. _How hard is it to unscrew the panels off and re-label everything?_

"Wardog squadron, take off immediately!" shouted the control tower.

"We will as soon as we can translate French into English," I said.

The control tower sent someone who knew a little French out onto the runway and he helped us get our planes started. He was about to explain how everything worked to Michelle, but I told him to go help the others with their planes.

"Captain, what am I supposed to do for the entire flight?" asked Michelle.

"Just sit back and look pretty, all we have to do is stop the spread of that gas and I doubt radar is going to be of any use," I said as I taxied onto the runway and took off.

The controls were pretty much the same but I hated the fact that I couldn't read anything in the cockpit. I armed my neutralizer bombs and proceeded to head towards Bana as fast as I could. The rest of Wardog was still getting ready to take off by the time I was already ahead of them by forty miles, but they managed to catch up as I approached Bana.

"Okay, once you've reached the airspace over the city, drop the neutralizer bombs. Make good use of them," said CDAC

"Roger, gee thanks for the step by step instruction there," said Chopper sarcastically.

"1st lieutenant Davenport, we've heard from the front lines that you like to shoot your mouth off on the radio."

"Uhh, Davenport is too busy carrying out his mission to answer you at this time, Sir," said Chopper.

"Alright guy, split up and drop those canisters right on top of the gas, we only have a limited amount of this shit so don't waste it," I said and we all split up.

I headed for the area with the most skyscrapers and flew through them to get an idea of where exactly the gas was coming from. Michelle started screaming at me again as I flew through them. I was really getting tired of her screaming, but I decided not to say anything because it was only the second it happened. I pulled up to gain altitude and when I was at three thousand feet, I dove back down and dropped four of my canisters on the plumes of gas I saw coming from the ground. The bombs burst into a white mist around the gold plumes of nerve gas and they evaporated into the air.

"How you guys doing over there?" I asked.

"This is Archer, the southwest side of the city is almost clear."

"This is Wildcat, southeast sector is already clear of the gas."

"This is Edge; northwest sector is clear as well."

As I was moving into position to clear the last gas dispersal sites, I listened in on the police chatter coming from the ground. They were evacuating the civilians as fast as they could, but most of them were trapped in areas where the gas was heavily concentrated. Reports from the police indicate that the maximum exposure time to the gas was three minutes before the average person started to feel the effects. I could see the bodies of dead men, women, and children all over the streets. _How could anyone do this?_

"Blaze, bombs away," I said as I dropped my final neutralizer bomb on the last plume of gas in the area.

"The northeast sector is clear of gas, all other areas are clear as well," said Erica.

"City Police HQ, 10-4. All other districts are clear, and the city is clear of gas. We really appreciate the Air Force for doing this," said dispatch. "Uhh, hold it, standby… The terrorist are escaping with the chemical weapons in a truck. Suspect proceeding south on route 22, all units close on that area."

"Hey, let's go watch," said Chopper.

I was already scanning the roads and I spotted the truck. It was speeding down the empty roads and I could see cop cars closing in to intercept the truck from multiple directions. I saw one cop car drifting around corners and flying down the road to get to the truck first. He identified himself as Baker 7.

"10-4, listen pilots, sorry to trouble you but our patrolmen aren't exactly trained to fight in wars. Do you think you could help them out from the air?" said dispatch.

CDAC asked if that was really necessary and police dispatch requested that they at least send some MPs to lend some aid. All Wardog could do was just keep an eye on the truck and make sure it didn't get away, nor were we told to RTB, so we stayed on station. Baker 7 spotted the truck as it tried pulling a sharp left turn and it skidded into a building and came to a stop. Baker 7 wasn't able to get to it fast enough before the truck started moving again. Wardog was then ordered to assist the police anyway we could and we were ordered not to let the truck escape.

"Roger that, I got it," I said as I lined up a shot on the front of the truck.

"Hold on, I don't need you fighters to fire on them or anything," said dispatch and I quickly broke off my attack.

"Not even just a little?" asked Chopper.

"No! Come on guys, really?" said dispatch

"Did you hear that Captain, they said we can't shoot 'em," said Chopper.

"I heard Chopper, and you better not be getting any funny ideas about it either," I said.

"I know I was just kidding."

We formed up and flew at six hundred feet to watch the chase. The terrorist in the back of the truck started throwing things out of the back to try and slow down the police. They threw T.V.s, chairs, weapons, and I thought I saw them throw out a box of fried chicken. _Damn, that made me hungry._ The truck then started to drive through some of the street that went further into the city. I had to weave in and out between buildings so I could still keep an eye on the truck.

"Captain, you could still see them if you climbed to higher altitude! I don't want to die because you crashed into the side of a building!" shouted Michelle.

"Shut the hell up Rockford, I can't concentrate!" I shouted back.

I continued to fly and I saw the truck get on the highway that led to a nearby suspension bridge. The police had setup a road block on the opposite side to prevent the truck from going any further. Suddenly, CDAC reported unidentified helicopters headed in the direction of the terrorists' truck.

"We got a visual on the helicopters already. Next time, tell us sooner," said Chopper.

"This is Baker 7, we've surrounded the area but that's a military helicopter. We don't have anything that can go up against it. Fighters, shoot them down for us"

"That's what I've been waiting for, let's go!" said Chopper.

Grimm formed up on my right wing and we headed for the helicopters to shoot them down. The helicopters were Mi-24 Hinds and Mi-28 Havocs and they were fully loaded with missiles, rockets, and guns. When we were close enough, my missile warning alarm went off and I quickly broke off my attack. The Mi-28s followed our every move and tried to stave off our attacks on the formations. _Alright I got something for your asses._ I climbed above the helicopter formations and the Mi-28s tried to keep their sights on me as I gained altitude over them, but they couldn't without stalling out.

As soon as I was well above the enemy helicopter formation, I pushed the stick over and put my Mirage into a dive. I lined up a shot on two Mi-28s and I pumped them both full of 30mm cannon shells, reducing them to burning slag heaps as they fell out of the sky. The rest of Wardog followed my example and shot down more of the incoming helicopters.

"Hey, aren't these Yuktobanian attack helicopters?" asked Grimm.

"Report to Command. Yuktobanian helicopters have entered our airspace. Repeat, Yuke copters have breached our airspace!" said Chopper.

"Anyone have eyes on how many they got left?" I asked.

"This is Smokey; I count five more helicopters…. Scratch that, I count three more helicopters remaining."

Chopper quickly shot down two of the remaining helicopters and Grimm downed the final one. As soon as the picture was clear, CDAC ordered us to return to Oured airport ASAP because there was another threat that had to be taken care of. We flew back to Oured at top speed and got back there within an hour and we landed our planes. I didn't know how to shut down the engines and the French speaking guy had to help us again. After that was taken care of, we ran towards one of the CDAC officers that were waiting for us on the runway.

"Glad you guys didn't decide to run, but we have another developing situation on our hands," said the CDAC officer.

"What's going on?" asked Kei.

"We have reports that those helicopters that you shot down over Bana came from Apito International Airport. Our Radar is picking up multiple formations of enemy planes headed to the airport but we have no Intel as to what their motives are. The sudden appearance of the enemy fighters has plunged the airport into chaos. Passenger planes can't land and have to maintain a holding pattern before its safe for them to land. We want you to eliminate those fighters before they have a chance to carry out their orders," said the CDAC officer.

We headed to our F-15s which had already been refueled and rearmed by the time we got back. They each had four sidewinders and four JDAMs. CDAC didn't know what to expect and they feared the Yukes would try to launch an attack of any kind. _I wouldn't take any chances either_. We got in our jets and we took off for our second sortie for today.

**2101hrs Apito International Airport**

We arrived over the airport and we had visual contacts on the enemy formations. Civilian 747s were still circling the airfield in holding patters, waiting to land. I could see the some of the passengers' faces, they were really worried._ I have to keep these people safe, no matter what. _I spotted two MiG-29s dead ahead and I ordered Kei to follow me while Chopper and Grimm held position over the airport.

"Captain, I got another pair of enemy fighters coming in from the west over the lake," said Kyle.

"Roger, Chopper, Grimm, intercept them and don't let them get near the airport," I said.

"Aww how peaceful this place is, I'm chokin' up here," said Chopper sarcastically.

Kei and I latched onto our targets and they proceeded execute their evasive maneuvers. The flight lead's maneuvering was more aggressively than his wingman and as a result, the wingman eventually lost sight of his flight lead and he egressed out of combat zone. Kei got the first lock and shot down the flight lead with a missile shot.

"We just got word that the remaining enemy commandos that gassed Bana, are headed to the airport," said CDAC. "We're guessing that those fighters are here to clear a way out for them."

"So which one is the containment attack, are they both for real?" asked Chopper. "Come on Grimm, shoot!"

"I can't attack, I keep thinking about all the people in those houses down below," said Grimm.

He was right; the enemy plane was flying over the metropolitan area on the edge of the lake. I hadn't noticed where the enemy plane that Kei had shot down had crashed. I looked over at the smoking wreckage of the crashed plane and saw that it had crashed in a wooded area further north of the populated areas. _That's a relief._

"Grimm, break off your attack and get him to chase one of you. Lead him over the lake at low altitude and then shoot him down," I said.

"Kid, we're both a little preoccupied at the moment. Maybe you and Nagase can get over here and lend us a hand," said Chopper.

"Edge, clear Grimm's tail and I'll take care of Chopper," I said and I dove for the enemy MiG-29 chasing Chopper.

We were flying at five hundred feet above the water and Chopper didn't have any room to maneuver. _I have to clear his six quickly._ I was two hundred yards behind the MiG and lined up a shot with my gun. I told Chopper to break hard left and he did. I had a clear shot at the MiG and I fired into his plane's fuselage. The MiG plummeted into the water and I watched Kei as she climbed above and behind her target. She rolled over into a dive and sent a stream of bullets into her targets cockpit and it crashed into the lake.

"Grimm, the radar!" shouted Erica.

"Look at all the enemies on the IFF!" shouted Grimm.

"Where, down below? On the ground?" asked Chopper.

I looked at my radar and I only saw the friendly IFF tags of the C-5s parked on the runway of the airport. _What enemies are they talking about? _ Michelle told me she couldn't see them either and it was confusing me as to what Grimm and Erica were talking about.

"This is airport control tower, military transport planes parked on the runway, state you squadron number and call signs."

"This is Capital District Air Command, we have not deployed any allied military transport planes to civilian airports at this time," said CDAC.

"Tanks, coming out of the transport planes, they're firing. It's the enemy! Enemy forces inside the airport!" shouted the control tower.

I looked over towards the airport and saw small flashes of light followed by bigger flashes of light. I could see a huge explosion which I assumed were the airport's fuel tanks blowing up.

"This is the middle of Osea, how can they be attacking here?!" shouted Chopper.

"Everyone get back to the airport, now!" I yelled and I turned towards the airport.

We sped towards the airport and I ordered weapons free. I targeted the first T-72 that I saw and dropped a JDAM right on top of it and Kyle confirmed the kill. We were all flying over the airport like wasps buzzing around their disturbed nest. We were knocking out the tanks and mobile AA guns, and I saw infantry flooding out of the transport planes behind the tanks.

"How did they sneak in here," asked Justin.

"Never mind, just destroy the tanks and transports planes. Don't let them cause any more damage here," said CDAC.

"When we passed over the airport just a moment ago, everything was fine," said Grimm.

"Maybe the commandos are nearing the airport and they Yuke decided now was the best time to clear an egress route for them," said Kyle.

"How in the world did they…"

"Grimm, finish taking out those tanks. We'll worry about how they got in here later," I said as I dropped another JDAM on top of another T-72.

"Captain, I got multiple hit on radar headed towards the airport," said Erica.

_God dammit, how much worse can this get?_

"Chopper to Kid, we just need to protect this airport facility right?"

"We also have to watch out for those 747s circling the airport," I said.

We were totally outnumbered and the stress was getting to me. It was clear these guys wanted retribution for the attack on the college that got attacked. My rage was growing and I realized that this attack was like the one that killed my dad. The enemy planes consisted of Su-25s, Su-27s, and MiG-31s. Every enemy pilot I saw from that moment on had those green eyes that I despised so much. I latched onto one of the Su-25s I saw heading for the airport. He was diving on the main terminal and I wasn't going to let him attack it. _I have to force him to break off his attack or his wreckage will crash into the terminal._ I locked onto the Su-25 with a missile and he broke off his attack. He broke hard left and spoiled my missile shot, but I was in position to use my gun. I shot his left wing off with my gun and he crashed onto the side of the runway. No sooner did I shoot the Su-25 down, did I send a missile into a Su-27s fuselage and send it crashing into the lake. _I'm not going to let it happen again, not as long as I can do something to stop it._

I could hear the 747 pilots tell the control tower that they were getting low on fuel. The control tower said that it was too dangerous for them to land and waved them off. More landing request came through and by the sound of things; the guy in the control tower was stressed out to the point of tears. _I know what it's like not being able to do anything._ I continued on my rampage and I could tell I was freaking out Michelle by the way I was throwing my F-15 all over the sky, trying to shoot down the enemy fighters.

"Then again, we did sorta do the same thing to them, over in their territory," said Chopper.

"So this is their retaliation for that? Why do people have to be so stupid?!" said Kei.

"Well if that's what this is, then where did all these fighters come from? Even if they could refuel in the air, fly all the way here and get through our defenses to destroy our capitol, there's not nearly enough of them to occupy the entire country. These guys are on a suicide mission and they know it… They must really hate use or else they wouldn't have gone this far," said Chopper.

"This isn't a random terrorist act…" said Kei softly. "Blaze, we can't lose any time here we have to hurry!"

"Then finish off those tanks and shoot down those fighters before they do anything else to the airport!" I said.

I heard the guy in the control tower sobbing and felt like doing the same thing. _Keep it together Antonio; you have to protect these people!_ I dropped my last two JDAMs on one of the transport planes and I could see some parts of a helicopter inside of it. I realized that the Yukes were hell bent on killing as many Osean civilians as they could. My mind was racing with thoughts of rage and hate and I wanted all of these Yukes dead.

"Hatred only breeds more hatred, it all just feeds on itself," said Kei.

She was right, if I submitted to my hatred, then I would become the demon that I feared becoming. _I'd rather be dead than let my inner demon take over me._ I had to remember to be human, to be better than those who would do things like this. I had to learn to let go, but I couldn't let go of everything. I still wanted that green eyed bastard. I was deep in thought and I didn't realize that I was flying straight and was being locked onto by a MiG-31.

"Blaze, what are you doing? He's right behind us," shouted Michelle.

I snapped out of my train of thought and instinctively barrel rolled over the MiG that was tailing me. The MiG then applied full throttle and sped out of range so that I couldn't catch him. I broke off my attack and dove into the fur ball of enemy planes still flying above the airport. I spotted a lone Su-27 at my two o' clock high as he pulled a wide left turn and I went after him. I pulled my F-15 into a climb and rolled up and over him and got into position on his tail. The displacement roll I just performed allowed me to get behind the Su-27 without the pilot noticing me and I fired my gun into his right wing and right horizontal stabilizer. He spiraled harmlessly into the ground and I went looking for another target. I saw a MiG-31 streak in towards one of the 747s towards my three o' clock and I locked onto him and fired a missile. He broke hard to his left and my missile flew past him, but he left himself open for me to attack with my gun. I fired a long steady stream of bullets into the underside of the MiG and I broke off my attack because I was closing in on him too fast. I looked back and saw the MiG fall out of the sky, tail first.

"All tanks and transport planes are confirmed destroyed. It looks like they only have a few foot mobiles left but airport security it taking care of them," said Kyle.

"Then take out the remaining fighters and be careful where you shoot them down," I said.

I only saw four more enemy planes and I engaged the final Su-27. We flew head on past each other and I turned hard left to go after him. We circled each other for half a minute before I decided to lag roll out of the circle and get a better angle on the Su-27. I did this maneuver several times before I finally got on his tail. The Su-27 then started to increase its speed and fly further ahead while he was still making hard left and right turns. I increased the throttle of my F-15 to close the gap between us and got into position to fire a missile. As I was about to fire, he leveled his plane for a split second and I could see what he was going to do. _He's going to perform Pugachev's Cobra!_ I saw everything happen in slow motion and as soon as I saw his nose start to lift up, I pulled back hard on my stick, applied hard right rudder, and performed a high G barrel roll over him. I had to fight to keep myself from blacking out while I put my body through nine Gs' all of a sudden.

The Su-27 had just started coming out of his cobra as I came out of my barrel roll. He was still in front of me and now I had a little bit of a height advantage over him. He saw this and dove into a defensive left spiral, which is basically a rolling scissors towards the ground, and we were losing altitude fast. He was slowly gaining the advantage over me and I had to do something. I disengaged me angle of attack limiter on my plane and I was about to pull back hard on the stick and cause my F-15s nose to go perpendicular to the angle we were diving at, but then I remembered that Michelle was in the back seat. She wasn't used to all of this violent maneuvering and she could die from the stress my maneuver would put on her. _Dammit, I can't put her in harm's way. I have to find another way._

"Hang on Rockford, you might get a little dizzy from this," I said.

I pulled tighter into my opponent's defensive spiral, cut power, and pressed hard on the left rudder peddle, putting my F-15 into a controlled flat spin stall. The negative G effects weren't as intense as the other maneuver I was planning on doing, but it did make us dizzy. I was losing altitude at the same rate he was and the spin was keeping his plane in my sights. I fired a burst from my guns at him and he broke out of the descending spiral. I nosed my plane down and got out of the stall. I could still see his plane's white underbelly against the night sky and I climbed up to meet him. I was in gun range and I was about to fire when he barrel rolled over me and I over shot him. _Way to use my move against me._ I dove for speed and pulled into a hard right turn for about ten seconds. _He's going to try and get a better angle on me for his gun._ My pursuer lag rolled to get a better firing angle at me, but when he started his roll, I rolled in the opposite direction and broke out of my tight turn. I quickly reversed direction and I found myself in the perfect position to fire my gun at him. I fired a short burst that hit his plane just behind the cockpit and he immediately performed another Pugachev's Cobra. _I didn't see that one coming and now he's got the advantage._ As soon as he picked up speed again, he closed in and sent a couple bullets into my left wing, but I barrel rolled over him and again I had the advantage.

We continued playing this deadly game of cat and mouse and we couldn't seem to keep the upper hand when either of us got it. _This guy isn't like the other Yukes I've flown against_. According to some of the reports from the frontlines, I've flown against some of the top aces in the Yuke Air Force and I've managed to shoot them down. _Maybe it's one of them and they've improved since last time._ We kept switching back and forth into firing positions and I could tell this pilot was becoming just as frustrated as I was. I lost track of how many times we were able to get on each other's tail and how many times we scored hits on each other, but this fight was going on for far too long. My only focus was him and only him. I couldn't hear, smell, or taste anything but I could only see this enemy pilot and I could only feel my hands on the controls in the cockpit.

We came out of another defensive spiral and flew in the opposite direction of each other. I was exhausted and I wanted to sleep, but I had to keep going. I pulled my F-15 around and came head on towards the enemy Su-27; he wasn't about to stop fighting either. _There's one thing left that I could try, but I could end up killing myself and Michelle if it doesn't work._ I maxed out the throttle and flew towards the enemy Su-27. I could just barely make out the outline of his light and dark grey plane as he drew closer. All of my senses started to come back to me again; I could hear the rest of Wardog cheering for me, I could smell the air as it came through my oxygen mask; I could taste the sweat on my upper lip. I could feel the sweat from my forehead drip into my right eye. _My eye, I can't wipe the sweat away. _There wasn't any time, I closed my right eye and kept my other eye glued to the enemy plane. _I have to time this just right._

The enemy pilot opened fire with his gun when he was in range. I could see the tracers fly right by my canopy as I closed in on him. I was within a hundred feet of him, going well over six hundred mph head on with the guy when I made my move. He was going to pass me on the left side and just when he thought I was going to break off, I kept going. I barrel rolled passed him and I felt my F-15 jerk to the right and shudder violently as our wings made contact with each other.

I struggled to regain control as I lost altitude. _Come on you piece of shit, level out! _My plane was still spiraling out of control and my hands were quickly twisting knobs, pressing buttons, flipping switches, and pulling at the stick. I heard everyone yelling at me to get my plane under control, but I couldn't pull the stick back hard enough. I wrapped my legs around it and I could feel myself regaining control of my F-15. I regained full control just seventy-eight feet above the ground. _That was close._

I circled back around and started looking for the enemy plane that I had grazed. He was flying at low altitude and his left wing was belching out smoke. When I barrel rolled past him, my right wingtip grazed his left wing enough to render it useless and I could see the gash in his wing. I saw him fumbling at the controls trying to keep his plane level, but I couldn't see his face. _It's him, I can feel it_. I fell back behind him and prepared to send a missile his way.

"Kid, wait! You're not seriously going to shoot him down are you?" said Chopper.

"I am," I replied.

"He can't do anything else to us Blaze, let him go," said Kei.

"You expect me to let him go after everything that he and his friends did today?" I yelled. "I'm going to shoot him down and if he lives, he'll get captured and if he doesn't, then I'm sure someone will find a place in hell for him."

"You're no better than him if you kill him like this," said Kei.

I could tell that this pilot the guy I was looking for, but Kei was right; I would lose myself if I stooped to his level. _I made a promise and I have to keep it, I never break my promises!_ My moral dilemma was eating away at me and I didn't know what to do. Suddenly I saw the pilot eject and his plane crashed into the forest just south of the airport. I couldn't see his parachute and I didn't bother looking for it.

"Form up on me, we're going back to Oured," I said glumly.

"Sir, if it makes you feel any better, we were all amazed at how well you flew against that guy," said Grimm.

"Yeah Kid, I don't think I could've kept up with him the way you did. Nagase felt so helpless when she saw how well he was flying. I'm just glad you had him on the ropes," said Chopper and everyone agreed.

"Hey, how's Valkyrie? She still alive?" asked Erica.

Kei flew closer to my left wing and saw that Michelle's head was leaning against the canopy. Kyle tried calling her name a few times but there wasn't any response from her. _Oh God, no!_ I ordered us to get back to Oured ASAP and we gave our planes full throttle.

**2251hrs Oured Osea**

"Mayday, mayday, mayday, this is Wardog leader. Control tower I need immediate landing clearance and an EMS on standby," I shouted over the radio.

"Copy that Wardog leader, they're standing by," said the tower.

I didn't know what was wrong with Michelle so I tried landing my F-15 as quickly and smoothly as I could. I taxied over to the flight line, shut off the engines, popped the canopy, and checked on her. She was alive, but unconscious which gave me a huge relief. I unstrapped her from her seat, took off her helmet, and helped the EMS team get her out of the plane. They put Michelle on a stretcher, loaded her into the back of an ambulance, and took her to one of the nearby hospitals. The rest of Wardog had just finished parking their planes and ran towards me. _This is going to embarrass the hell out of Michelle if the others find out she pissed herself._

"Captain, is she alright?" asked Justin.

"Yeah, she just fainted. I really should stop flying with a RIO," I said.

"What's a RIO?" asked Erica.

"Radar Intercept Officer, it's basically the same thing as a WSO, but Marine pilots call them RIOs. Anyways, I guess my flying was a bit too much for her," I said and I began looking over my plane.

There were bullet holes and tears in the metal scattered all over the body but overall, my plane was in good shape. I took another look inside the cockpit and I didn't see any damage of any kind, but I did see Michelle's air sickness bags on the floor. How those things didn't burst open, I'll never know. The smell of urine was bad enough. I looked behind me to see the rest of my team looking at me in awe.

"What?"

"Kid, did it ever occur to you that you might just be the most talented pilot in the entire world," said Chopper.

"No, not really," I said jumping down from the cockpit. "There's always someone one better though."

"Captain, has anyone ever told you that you fly like Mobius 1, except your flying is more refined?" asked Kei.

_Crap, they might connect the dots sooner than I suspected._ I looked at her befuddled, trying to cover up my surprise at Kei's comparison. Everyone else looked at each other before their eyes all turned on me and they waited for me to say something.

"No, in fact that's the first time I've ever heard that," I said. _That actually was the first time I heard that._

An MP SUV drove up to us and an OADF Colonel stepped out of the passenger door. I had never seen him before, but I could tell he knew who we were. We snapped to attention and saluted him until he put us at ease. Then he started to speak.

"Captain Castillo, 1st lieutenants Nagase, Davenport, Hardin, and Nelms, 2nd lieutenants Rockford and Boldman, and Staff Sergeant Grimm, you've all been scheduled for another court martial hearing tomorrow. However, in light of recent events, you'll be sent back to the frontlines to help with further assisting the Osean invasion of Yuktobania, so instead of your court martial being postponed, Strategic Air Command has decided to drop all charges against you. You are to report back to Sand Island at 0900hrs, tomorrow morning. If you all really are innocent, then I suggest you prove it out there on the battlefield."

I honestly didn't know how I should've felt when the Colonel said the charges against us have been dropped. Yeah, I was happy that we were cleared, but I was weary as to why they dropped them. _Lieutenant Colonel Harkin couldn't have convinced the brass to drop the charges against us; his line of work doesn't have that kind of pull in the Osean government._

The Colonel dismissed us and we were driven back to our hotel. When I got back to my room, I went straight to the bathroom and took a shower. I couldn't remember the last time hot water felt so good. After I was done, I brushed my teeth and I heard a knock at my door. I opened it and saw Kei standing outside. _What is she doing here?_ I held up a finger as if I was telling her to wait a second and I finished brushing my teeth so I could talk to her.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked as I looked out the door wondering where the guards were.

"We're not under guard anymore because the charges got dropped," said Kei. "But that's not why I'm here. May I come in?"

"Yeah sure," I said and I held the door open as I let her inside. She was wearing one of the hotel's white robes over her blue pajama bottoms and white tank top. Her hair was still wet and I could tell she had just gotten out of the shower. Kei sat down on my bed and I sat down next to her. She looked like she was worried about something and I was about to find out what.

"I've been noticing things about you lately and they scare me," said Kei softly. "I know you have things that you're hiding and I know that you don't want to talk about them because you're afraid of what we all might think."

Kei grasped one of my hands and she held it tightly. She wasn't looking at me and it bothered me. As much as I wanted to tell her everything, I just couldn't. Partially because I was under orders, but mostly because I knew no one else in my team would understand. I know Kei was here for me, but I felt like she couldn't do much to help.

"I want to trust you, but you put us all at risk with these secrets you're keeping from us. From me! I love you Antonio Castillo but how can I trust you if I don't know what you're hiding from everyone?"

All I could do was look down and argue within myself. _You should tell her. I can't, she'll think I'm crazy and abandon me. You love her and if she truly loves you back, she'll stay with you._ I let go of Kei's hand and paced around the room a little. _I have to tell her._ What Kei asked me next made me realize what she already knew about me.

"You're Mobius 1, aren't you?"

_How do you like them apples?_


	12. Powder Keg

**Chapter 11 – Powder Keg**

**November 4, 2010 2347hrs Oured Osea, Blaze's hotel room**

"You're Mobius 1, aren't you?" asked Kei

I leaned forward against the wall and rested my forehead against it. She had finally figured out who I was and I knew she'd find my story hard to believe. I nodded and I could sense Kei's shocked astonishment.

"How could you be Mobius 1 when you were seventeen?" she asked.

"It's a long and complicated story Kei. I'm under orders not to tell anyone, not even my own family," I said softly while I lightly banged my forehead against the wall.

"What can you tell me then? Talk to me Antonio, please."

I looked over at her and I could see the tears building up in Kei's eyes as she looked at me. I couldn't bear to see her cry and I wanted her to stop. She looked away from me and I watched as she got up to leave the room. _Go after her! _Kei opened the door to my room and I quickly walked over to her and grabbed her shoulder. She looked at my hand and I turned her towards me.

"It all started when I was eight years old, the day my dad died," I said. _I have to come clean._

Kei wiped the tears from her eyes as I tried to gather my thoughts on how I should tell her everything. I let go of her shoulder and walked over to the bed. I sat down leaning forward and I ran my fingers through my hair.

"How exactly did your father die?" asked Kei.

"There was an attack on Curtis Air Force Base on June 24th, 1996 and my dad, brother, and older sister were victims," I told her.

Kei's eyes widened when she realized I was talking about the same attack that killed her father. I wanted to ask her if she knew about the green eyed pilot, but I didn't want her to go looking for him like I already was. She walked over towards me and asked me to go on.

"When the pilot dropped his last bomb on the spectator stands, I got hit in the back by a piece of debris when I tried running away. That's why I got that scar on the left side of my back. I was fading in and out when someone had finally found me and they took me to what I thought was a hospital, but it turned out to be a place where they were researching and experimenting on kids. They assumed both of my parents were dead and they drafted me into their experiment called Project Pit bull where they basically molded me and a bunch of other kids into younger versions of Jason Bourne against our will. We were stripped of our names and assigned numbers. I was 0118," I said and I felt myself becoming angry. "Two years after I became part of Pit bull, one of my mom's closest friends found out what they were doing to us and managed to stop the project. I found out my mom was alive and that she believed I was dead. It was a bittersweet reunion and I tried readjusting to normal life, but I couldn't do it. I couldn't just forget everything that Pit bull did to me and it started affecting my mentality. Things got so bad that my only options were to either spend the rest of my life in a mental institution or go back to a more closely monitored version of Pit bull that would only be active during the summer. I chose the latter and my mother asked her friend, who found me, to keep a close eye on me. Every fall, I would attend regular school as part of a type of therapy I was going through and so I could acquire the feeling of a normal life, and every summer I would go back to Pit bull where I would continue the training. All of the other kids returned as well, but we never came in contact with each other. I was eighteen when I was finally 'released' from Pit bull and by that time, I pretty much had the knowledge of a college graduate and the physic and skills of a veteran soldier."

I was still full of anger and I wanted to kill the people who forced me to live a double life that I never wanted, but it was my fault as well because I chose to go back. _I didn't want any of this, but I try to make the best of it. _Kei sat down next to me and she grabbed my hand again. I felt myself calm down a little, but I was still angry.

"How did you become Mobius 1?" she asked. _She seems awfully relaxed at what I just told her._

"You know how the Independent States don't really have a military or defense force right?" I asked and Kei nodded. "They only have ISAF which is basically any military asset given to them by various countries to help them whenever they need to build a military. Anyways, as I was still going through Pit bull, I still had my interest in flying and ISAF needed pilots. I volunteered to join them but the brass took it as a joke. One of the guys who trained me was able to convince them otherwise. I started out with the basic knowledge of flying and navigation and the more sorties I went on, the more I was able to improve my flying. I also felt like I was becoming what my mom feared I would become."

Kei looked at me, wondering what I was talking about. "What I mean by that is that I wasn't me anymore, I lost my morality. I shot down planes, bombed tanks, and sank ships without mercy," I said and my voice trailed off.

I could remember every target I destroyed and every missile I evaded. I could remember every detail of my encounter with Yellow squadron and how I had to fight five aces alone. I even remember when I had to save the plane Kei and her family was flying in. _Wow, that ISAF pilot is flying solo! _

_Flight 701 can you raise altitude; this will assist the ISAF escort._

_This is flight 702; the ISAF plane has the Erusians tied up. We just may make it. _

_Oh no, it's the Grim Reaper!_

_I'm hit, Mobius 1, you take the lead!_

_We need heroes after the war. _

"Antonio, are you okay?" asked Kei.

"They called me a hero, but I shouldn't be alive. I should've died at the airshow along with the other half of my family. I don't know if God has a plan for me and after everything I've done, I'd never forgive me. Now you know why I'm so angry at myself," I said softly.

I sank my head lower as I kept beating myself up over my past. _I can't help what happened in the past, I have to keep going forward. _I felt tears building up in my eyes and I fought to keep them from showing, but Kei saw them. She put her hand on my cheek, turned my head towards her, and kissed me.

"None of us would be a live if it weren't for you. I got to actually fly with the one and only Mobius 1, and I wanted to thank you," said Kei as she moved in closer and continued to kiss me tenderly.

"I love you Kei."

"I love you too."

**June 24, 1996 Curtis AFB Osea**

"You ready for your first flight kid?" said the pilot of the P-51D Mustang.

"Yeah," I said trembling with excitement.

The pilot pushed the throttle forward and the Mustang took off down the runway. I was gripping the edge of my seat tightly as I felt the plane lift off from the ground. The pilot pulled back on the stick and made a climbing right turn. I looked out the side of the canopy and I could see my dad standing on the side of the runway and shrink as we climbed into the sky. We were going higher and higher until I couldn't see the ground anymore and the pilot leveled off at fifteen thousand feet. We were above the cloud deck and I could hear the engine humming through my helmet and headset. It was around noon and the sun was shining brightly through the scattered clouds.

"Hold on Kid, get ready for some fancy flying," I heard my pilot say and he started performing various maneuvers. He pulled into a hard right turn and I felt my body shift as he kept switching direction and pulled various high G maneuvers. I came close to blacking out and my stomach was swirling around in my chest. I was close to vomiting but I fought to keep that from happening. I could see the flight controls moving in front of me and I was able to understand how the pilot was able to control the plane. The pilot put the Mustang into a dive and headed back towards the base where we took off from and flew up next to an F-16 that was doing its flight demonstration. I could hear ground control yelling at my pilot, telling him to clear the airspace so he doesn't crash into any of the other planes. He banked right away from the F-16 and climbed above the cloud deck again.

"Alright Kid, let see what you can make this bird do," said the pilot.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing and I hesitated when I grabbed the stick and put my feet on the rudder pedals. I lightly pushed the stick over to the left and I felt the Mustang roll over to the left very quickly. I pushed the stick over to the right to correct it but it just made me lose control even more. My pilot in the front quickly regained controlled of the plane and gave me back control of the Mustang.

"Kid, here's a little tip; when you fly the plane, you have to move with it. Think of this bird as a part of you," said the pilot.

_Might as well give it a shot and see what I can make it do._ I took his advice and I quickly got a feel for the plane. I was so giggly when I finally figured it out. I pushed the stick forward and dove for speed. I quickly pulled back on the stick and the Mustang climbed higher and higher. As I came out of the climb, I barrel rolled into a cloud and banked to the left. _I wonder if I replicate what Donald Bryan did in his dogfight against that one German ace he fought in WWII. _I leveled the Mustang and flew straight for a little bit.

"You had enough Kid?" the pilot asked as he chuckled.

"No, not yet," I replied.

I snapped the sick back and put the Mustang into stall. I hit full bottom rudder, which dropped the nose and the torque of the propeller twisted the plane counter clockwise. I pushed the stick forward, neutralizing the effect, and waited for the plane to regain speed as it fell out of the sky, so I could pull out of the stall I had entered. My pilot in the front seat was freaking out as we fell two thousand feet before the Mustang was finally able to pick up flying speed again. I was smiling at the way the pilot had reacted and I could see him looking back at me in his mirror, wondering how I just did that maneuver.

"Where did you learn to do that?" he asked, but before I could answer him, I felt the plane tip over to the left. I tried reversing direction but the plane wasn't responding. The Mustang was still intact, but I didn't know what was going on. I suddenly felt the Mustang spin right and my head impacted the canopy hard enough to knock me out.

**November 5, 2010 0730hrs Oured Osea**

I woke up when I was knocked out in my dream. I looked around the room and it took me a second to remember where I was. Kei and I were under the covers in my bed, holding each other wearing only our underwear. I gently removed my arm from underneath her as I got up and walked over to where my gym shorts were and put them on. I walked over to the window and saw the sun peaking over the horizon through some of the surrounding buildings. Everything was calm but I knew that somewhere on the other side of the Strangereal, people were dying because of the war. I continued to look out the window and I felt Kei wrap her arms around me and rest her head on my back.

"I wish we could stay here longer," I said as I held Kei's arms.

"You and me both," she replied and she kissed my back.

_She better get back to her room before someone catches us together._ The phone on my bed side table started to ring. I turned and kissed Kei and walked over to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hey Antonio, it's me," said Harkin. "Listen, your copilot is alright and the doctors are telling her she can't take part in any combat sorties for the next week. I'll have someone drive you and your team to the airport and she'll be waiting. I don't know what you did to her, but she was out for the whole night."

"Thank you sir, may I ask you something before I go?" I asked.

"Sure, what do you need?"

"How many enemy pilots were captured after the attack on the airport last night?"

"None of them turned up alive, they all took cyanide pills before we could get to them. However, we have all the pilots bodies accounted for, except one. He won't be out there for long," said Harkin.

"Thank you sir," I said and I hung up. I turned towards Kei and I saw her getting dressed. "Did you hear me say anything in my sleep last night?"

She stopped in the middle of putting on her robe and looked at me with worry in her eyes.

"You said something about 'those eyes'. Why?"

"Nothing, you'd better get back to your room before the others catch us," I said.

Kei nodded and left my room. _I better get ready to head back to Sand Island._ I gathered my uniform and took my morning shower. After I was done I packed all of my things and walked out of the room. As I closed the door behind me I noticed Chopper was leaning against the wall next to my door. He looked at me like he knew one of my secrets and I could tell he was going to ask me about something.

"Did you have a good night last night?" asked Chopper.

"Why do you ask?"

"Oh nothing, I was just wondering why I saw Nagase enter your room last night. Is there something you want to share with us Kid?" asked Chopper.

I didn't know what to say and I couldn't think of any excuses as to what it looked like. I also knew it was a matter of time before the others found out. It's not that I didn't trust anyone in Wardog if I told them about me and Kei; it was because if they found out, the others could start to think I was playing favorites when it came to protecting my wingmen. I leaned against the wall and looked at Chopper.

"What do you think she came to my room last night?" I asked.

"I don't know, did you two seal the deal or was it just so she could cry on your shoulder again?"

"That's a little cold when you put it like that dude," I said.

"Sorry let me rephrase it, did you finally start dating or did you console her?" asked Chopper.

I looked at him even more annoyed than usual. I didn't know if he was trying to piss me off for his own amusement or if he was seriously asking me these questions. Either way I didn't like it.

"Are you trying to get a rise out of me? Because I'm this close to kicking your ass," I said.

"Alright, fine," said Chopper holding up his hands in defense. "How long have you and Nagase been having this kind of relationship?"

"What do you mean 'this kind of relationship?" I asked.

"Jesus Christ Kid, how long have you and Nagase been dating?" said Chopper.

"Thank you for being clear about your question. Now if you must know, we've been dating since the SSTO launch. Is there a reason you're asking?" I asked suspiciously.

"Because you know in our line of work, anything could happen. With Nagase's seemingly fragile state of mind and your anger issues, one of you getting killed is going to spell certain doom for the rest of us. You know that right?" said Chopper.

"I'm aware of that," I said quietly. I could tell Chopper wanted to talk about the subject more in depth but I guess my attitude is what stopped him.

"Listen Kid, I'm happy for the both of you, but don't let your feelings for each other jeopardize the rest of us," said Chopper and he walked towards the elevators with his bag in hand.

I saw Kei and Erica walk out of their rooms, carrying their duffel bags. I was still leaning against the wall thinking about what Chopper said. Kei and I both knew the consequences of our relationship, and we still went along with it._ I'd do just about anything for her._

"You alright, Sir?" asked Erica.

"Yeah, just a long night last night," I said and I could see Kei trying to fight a smile. "Anyways, let's go get some chow before we have to take off."

The three of us headed downstairs and headed for the hotel cafeteria where everyone else was waiting for us. I wasn't really that hungry so I only grabbed a small bowl of cereal and an apple. Everyone else was piling on the food on their trays. _Damn, I wish I could've gotten some of that bacon._ I listened as they talked about some of our earlier sorties. Erica, Kyle, and Justin were all listening as Chopper told them about our SSTO mission.

"By the time the thing launched, Kid's plane was shot to shit by some guy who launched the last cruise missile at the SSTO craft. I don't know what kind of plane that pilot was flying but it didn't have any markings on it and it was black. I would've loved to see Kid fight that guy last night," said Chopper.

"Captain, your flying was amazing against that enemy pilot you fought last night," said Erica.

"Yeah, I want to see what you can do in an F-22," said Grimm.

I was in the middle of chewing my apple when Grimm said that. _I wish I still had my other plane before the Eruseans got a hold of it. _I looked at Grimm and smiled.

"I'd like to see what I can do with it too, but I can't trust that plane with my life," I said.

"Why not?" asked Justin.

"You ever hear about 'Raptor Cough'?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's hypoxia or something like that."

"Exactly, that's the only reason why I won't fly it," I said.

"Have you flow the Raptor before?" asked Erica.

_Yes I have and I almost didn't make it back to base._ "Nah, my mom's friend, Lieutenant Colonel Harkin, flew it before and he almost crashed trying to land it," I said. _I put him in that position too. _

"Wow, does anyone know what causes the hypoxia?" asked Grimm

"I think it had something to do with the plane's oxygen system. Even after the entire system was replaced, the pilots were still experiencing the symptoms," said Chopper. "I wonder why those pilots who escorted us here flew them."

"Probably because they needed every advantage if they needed to shoot us down if we ran," said Erica.

"I'm just glad we don't need escort back to Sand Island," I said looking at the clock. "Speaking of which, we'd better get going."

We cleaned up our mess, picked up our bags, and headed to the front of the hotel. We waited for less than a minute before Harkin pulled up in his car along with two other SUVs. I didn't think he'd be here, but it must be important. _Maybe he's going to give me my watch back._ Harkin got out of his car and looked at me.

"Castillo, you're riding with me," he said.

I looked back at the others and they looked at me. They still thought Harkin was my attorney and they could only wonder what he wanted to talk to me about. I put my bag in the back seat of Harkin's car, got in the passenger's seat, and Harkin started driving to the airport.

"Kid, you know damn well you weren't supposed to tell anyone about Pit Bull," said Harkin angrily.

He knew I told Kei about it last night and he wasn't too happy about it either. I knew this was coming because he and the others he worked with kept a constant eye on me. I couldn't even use the bathroom without them taking interest. There was a price put on my head after I completed operation Katina and Harkin was just trying to keep me safe.

"I know sir," I replied.

"Then why did you tell your wingman?" he asked looking at me.

"Because she found out I saved her and her family six years ago, and her dad was another victim at the Curtis attack," I said softly.

Harkin looked at me surprised and I saw his expression out of the corner of my eye. He only let me in on certain details of the attack but he didn't tell me everything. The only things Harkin told me was that the guy who killed half of my family was a Belkan pilot who disappeared after the attack and that he was a member of a coup d'état force that was likely to be active to this day.

"Sir, you've kept the details of that attack from me long enough, I want to know why that pilot murdered half of my family that day," I said glaring at Harkin.

"I can't do that Kid," he replied.

"Why not, I want some closure if that bastard and I dogfight again," I said. _Wait for him to take the bait._

"What do you mean again?" asked Harkin.

"I fought with him last month over the Basset space center," I said.

"How do you even know it was him?"

"I'll never forget that fucker's eyes," I said. Harkin probably would dismiss my evidence but it was the only thing I could remember from him when I saw him.

"What color were they?" asked Harkin.

"Green…. They were green and I could tell he was smiling when I saw him both times," I said.

It was part of Harkin's job to take note of every detail and analyze the crap out of it. I knew Harkin would then have to dig even deeper to try and find out what else I might know. I was expecting this, but I wasn't going to make it easy for him.

"What else can you tell me Kid?" asked Harkin.

"Depends on what you can tell me. Can you tell me why he attacked Curtis and do you have any clue as to who he might be?"

"I can't do that Captain," said Harkin. When he called me by my rank, I knew I was pissing him off and I knew not to push my luck.

"Then I don't know anything else, Sir," I said and remained quiet for the rest of the ride to the airport.

When we got to the airport, we all got out of the vehicles and headed to the locker rooms. We got in our flight gear and I waited for Michelle to arrive before we took off. Everyone was sitting on the flight line in a circle talking, while I was leaning against the front of the hanger our planes were stored in. They could tell I was in a bad mood so they didn't bother me. Every now and then I would see Kei glance over at me, wondering if I was okay.

"Her and your fathers were one of the main reasons for the attack."

I looked to my left and I saw Harkin leaning against the hanger next to me. _Oh, so now he wants to play ball._

"Who else and why were they targeted?" I asked.

"During the final days of the Belkan War, you dad led a team of men to secure the crash site of a renegade group's flying command center. Your father's team secured the site and came across numerous plans for super weapons that could guarantee a country's dominance over the rest of Strangereal. Your father reported the matter and a number of people were called in to research the data and develop it for use by the allies. Hideo Nagase, Kei's father, was one of the top researchers who had the idea of combining some of the ideas to make even more powerful weapons of mass destruction," said Harkin.

I was finally getting what I wanted and I knew about some of the things he was talking about like Megalith and Stonehenge. What scared me was that I didn't know how many more of these weapons were still out there.

"There's something you should know about Kei's dad, after the war ended, he made copies of the plans and hid them away somewhere so no one could find them. As you and I both know, no secret stays hidden forever. Eventually, someone found a copy of two of the plans and they were sold to Erusea. That's how Stonehenge and Megalith came to be and Kei's family was being targeted to cover up any loose ends," said Harkin.

Something then occurred to me that I hadn't realized before. I was nervous about asking it because I though Kei might have been lying to me the whole time, but I had to know.

"Sir, what was her family doing in Usea during that war? I thought she was a citizen of Osea," I said.

"I am," said Kei and I turned to see her standing behind me.

"Then what was your family doing on the Usean continent," I asked.

She looked at ground and sighed. I had a bad feeling about what she was about to say and I felt like it was enough to give me a reason to break up with her. _I hope to God that I don't lose her because of this secret._

"After the Curtis attack, she emigrated to Erusea with my sister because my mother thought the attack on Curtis was only the beginning of something bigger. She gave the Erusean government the plans for Stonehenge and Megalith in exchange for citizenship," said Kei.

"Didn't you go with her?" I asked.

Kei leaned against the hanger wall and looked away from me. I was about to ask her again but Harkin placed his hand on my shoulder. I looked at him and he took a deep breath.

"This is something you two are going to have to talk about on your own time, but right now you and I are running out of time," Harkin said to me. "During the Curtis attack, your fathers were targeted along with other key people who were all somehow linked to one the weapons your father discovered."

"Do you know who attacked Curtis?" I asked.

"We narrowed it down to one of two people, but we believe it was a man named Wolfgang Buchner," said Harkin.

"What about the other guy?"

"We don't know who he is but we found traces of him and they lead us to believe that he's dead. Buchner went AWOL during the Belkan war and no trace of him has been found since, so we assume he was part of the 'World with no Boundaries' group," said Harkin. "Now you're going to tell me everything you know about this pilot you mentioned."

I could feel Kei's eyes staring at me, wondering what Harkin was talking about. _She deserves to know, I can't keep him to myself if we run into him again._

"We first encountered him over the Basset space center when the SSTO delivered the laser to the Arkbird and I believe I encountered him last night over Apito international. I couldn't see his face, but the way he flew made me suspect that it was him," I said.

"Why do you think it was him if you couldn't see him," asked Harkin.

"His flying style made it so that he wasted no time trying to attack his next target. When he attacked Curtis, he went straight for another target after we was done with his first one. He followed the same principles when we were dogfighting," I said.

"I can vouch for the Captain, Sir," said Kei. "He didn't waste any time trying to gain the advantage when the Captain and that enemy pilot fought last night. If no one caught him after he bailed out last night, then he's somewhere in Osea still."

Kei's words carried a lot of weight because she also saw how intense that dogfight was. Harkin looked at her for a second before he looked down and rubbed the back of his neck. The investigation officially ended a while ago, but unofficially, Harkin was still looking into it.

"Alright, I'll look into this more when I get back. In the mean time you might want to get your team airborne so you can head back to Sand Island, and another thing; try not to make your RIO piss herself again," said Harkin and he left.

Kei looked at me befuddled as to what he was talking about and I think it was better that she didn't know. Michelle had just gotten out of the vehicle that brought her here and she was making her way towards the hanger.

"What's he talking about?" asked Kei.

"Take a whiff of the back seat of my plane and you'll find out," I said and I started walking into the hanger.

Kei followed me and climbed up to the cockpit of my plane. She practically gagged at the smell and jumped down. I couldn't help but laugh at her reaction as she started digging through her bag and pulled out a bottle of her body spray. She climbed back up and started spraying Michelle's seat while she was holding her nose. Michelle had just walked in on Kei as she started spraying down the seat and Michelle's face turned beat red with embarrassment. Kei saw her and jumped down to talk to her.

"I don't think he told anyone else," said Kei trying not to laugh and she walked towards her plane.

Michelle glared at me and I could tell I pissed her off pretty good. She wouldn't talk to me and I honestly didn't care. I did what I had to keep the both of us alive and if she wanted to give me the silent treatment, then so be it.

After we put our bags in the storage pods under our planes, we strapped in, started up our engines, taxied onto the runway, and took off for Sand Island. We didn't have fighter escort and our planes were stripped of all weapons except for the gun. Chopper started complaining about how we would be shot down in a matter of minutes if we were jumped since we didn't have any weapons other than our guns. _I can't believe I missed this guy_.

"So Lieutenant Rockford, what happened when the Captain was dog fighting that enemy plane last night?" asked Grimm.

I knew it would only be a matter of time before they asked her about it. I was just as curious as to when she threw up and passed out. She didn't say anything right away but she told them everything, except the part about her wetting herself.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to flying with the Captain," said Michelle.

"If you don't like it, trade places with one of the other three," I suggested.

"I just might do that," she replied. "Anyone want to switch places with me?"

No one said anything and I could feel the tension among them. It seemed like Michelle was desperate to try and fly with someone else. I honestly thought that Kyle, Justin, and Erica would've jumped at the opportunity to fly with me, but I guess I was wrong.

"Come on you guys, at least flying with the Captain once," begged Michelle. "Nelms, please switch places with me on the next mission."

"Yeah, please switch with her. I can't go another mission listening to her scream at me for trying to keep her sorry ass alive," I said.

"Yeah Smokey, it'll give her and I a chance to have some girl time," joked Kei.

"Alright fine, I'll do it next mission," said Kyle and ended the conversation.

**November 6, 2010 1823hrs Sand Island**

When we arrived back at Sand Island, I went straight to my bunk and passed out until around 0940hrs this morning. My internal clock was all messed up from the jet lag and I when I did wake up and get on deck, it was already too late for me to do my morning routine. We didn't get a welcome like we did last time, but we still had to deal with the unfriendly base personnel like the kitchen staff and some of base security. What really surprised me was that Colonel Perrault hadn't called me into his office so he could sneer at me for being put on active duty again. He must've been pissed off beyond all reason if he didn't want to try and insult me.

I spent most of the day in the hangers, talking with some of the people who believed Wardog was innocent. They were a good bunch of people and they liked us, which was good enough for me. I hadn't seen Pops since we got back and I asked the people I was mingling with, where he was.

"He said that he had to get a couple things from the mainland and that he should be back here sometime early tomorrow," said Senior Master Sergeant Rachel Speer. She was a light skinned, black woman who had been in the OADF for almost eighteen years and her husband died in the Belkan war. She also told me that she had a crush on Pops, but she was never able to ever figure him out.

"Missing your crush already ma'am?" I joked.

"Yeah, ever since I first laid eyes on him I knew I would like him. No one really knows much about him, but he's always smiling and that always brightens up my day," she said. "Speaking of crushes, I hear you got a thing going on with Miss Nagase."

I looked at her in shock when she said that. _Who else knows about Kei and me?_ I was about start denying everything and she told me to relax.

"Don't worry about it Captain, only we know about it and nobody else," said Rachel as she looked at the three other people in our group.

Corporal DaVaughn Washington was in the Osean Marines and was stationed here as part of base security. He was also black and called Rachel 'mom'. Technical Sergeant Adam Dugal and Airman Mariah Oro were members of Pops' ground crew. Adam was from Elizabeth City and he had dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. Mariah was a very cute Filipino girl with dark brown hair and brown eyes. They all said they'd keep quiet about it, but what worried me was how they found out.

"Who told you about us?" I asked.

"Bruh, you two do everything together. It's kinda hard for someone to ignore the fact that you two might have something going on. The only reason we don't say nothing is because mom said she'd kick our asses if we told anyone," said DaVaughn.

"Shut up, Pops accidentally mentioned it when we were repairing the base after the Yuke invasion failed," said Rachel.

"We haven't told anyone else about it Captain. If we wanted to get you in trouble, we would've already said something to Perrault," said Mariah.

I relaxed a little and we continued talking about Rachel's crush on Pops until Kei came into the hanger looking for me. I remembered how Harkin told me how Kei and I had to talk about something on our own time and I think she was going to tell me right now. She motioned with her hand for me to follow her and I did. We walked out onto the flight line and she stopped when we were out of earshot of the others I was talking to. Kei cradled her arms and looked out towards the last bit of sun light peaking over the horizon.

"I need to tell you something," she said solemnly.

"I kinda suspected you did," I said. "What is it?"

Kei turned towards me but she didn't look at me. Her body language suggested that something was really bothering her. I didn't know if it was something I did or something I told her, but something was up.

"You asked what I was doing in Osea when my mom and my sister emigrated to Erusea," said Kei. "She thought I died during the attack and I was left alone."

I didn't how to react to when she told me this. I wanted to feel sorry for her, but she didn't seem to want sympathy. I wanted to comfort her, but she didn't seem to need it. For the first time that I could remember, I didn't know what to do.

"What happened to you?" I asked worried.

Kei looked up at me uneasily. She walk towards me, wrapped her arms around me, and rested her head on my chest. I could feel her breathing heavily like she was choking up.

"They drafted me into Pit bull too," she said.

I couldn't believe what she had just said and I didn't know what to say. She had gone through the same bullshit I went through and had all the same training I did, but I still didn't know everything about her involvement in Pit bull. I only knew that she must have suffered just as much as I did. I held Kei around the waist with one hand and gently held her head against my chest with the other as she wept quietly. _I guess I know why she didn't over react when I told her I was part of Pit bull._

Kei found out her mother was alive around the same time I learned my mother was alive. When Pit bull was disbanded, she reunited with her mother in Erusea but she never became an Erusean citizen. Kei also returned to Pit bull with me and the other kids and every fall, she would return to Erusea to live with her mom. When Kei was seventeen, her mother tried defecting to the Independent States and Kei wanted to go with her and make sure she made it to the Independent States in one piece. Kei didn't expect to be attacked by Erusean fighters and I was sent in to provide cover while they flew towards friendly airspace. I couldn't think of anything to say or do as Kei told me everything, so I just continued to hold her. All the while, I could feel someone watching us as we held each other. _I think Perrault knows now._

**November 7, 2010 1306hrs Duga Yuktobania**

We woke up early again to go on another mission that would take us deep into the jungles of Yuktobania. Our objective was to attack a huge ammo cache and disrupt the Yuktobanian Army's supply lines. It seemed simple enough, but that was until we arrived on station.

"Geez, now they got us turning right back into another battle, and this scenery defiantly clashes with my Rock 'n' Roll," said Chopper.

"I'm just glad they're not ordering us to attack a city in retaliation for their retaliation," said Grimm.

"You're a real optimist, you know that? Sheesh," said Chopper.

"This is Thunderhead, cut the chatter!"

"Oh, I just wish I could fly somewhere where I didn't have to hear that voice."

"You did 'til yesterday," said Grimm.

"Well I don't want to listen to that interrogation committee at capital, either," said Chopper.

"Alright people, focus. We're over the target area, weapons free!" I ordered and we all dispersed.

"Have fun Smokey," said Michelle as she watched me commence my attack on one of the tunnels.

Mine and Grimm's F-15s were equipped with twelve 500lb bombs and four sidewinders. Kei and Chopper were equipped with six maverick missiles, four sidewinders, and six 500lb bombs. Pops was even able to hook us up with M-56 explosive rounds for our guns.

As I was about to drop a bomb inside one of the tunnels, my missile warning went off. I broke off my attack and I frantically looked for the missile. I finally saw it streak up from the ground from my two o'clock. I barrel rolled over it just in time for it to pass above my canopy. _Where the hell did that thing come from?_ I pushed the throttle forward and sped away from the area the missile came from. Suddenly, my missile warning went off again and I saw the missile being launched just off of my nose. Again, I barrel rolled away from it and climbed to gain altitude.

"Edge, break right, missile!" shouted Michelle.

"They're shoulder-launched SAMs. Enemy soldiers in the jungle," yelled Chopper

"They not showing up on radar," said Erica.

_Of course they're not showing up!_ I turned back towards the tunnel I was going to attack. I put quite some distance between me and the tunnel. When I was far enough, I turned back, lined up in front of it, and applied full throttle to my plane. I sped towards the tunnel entrance at Mach 1 and released my bomb when my piper was on the tunnel. I tried speeding through my attack hoping the SAM soldiers couldn't get a lock on me fast enough, but I wasn't that lucky.

"Captain, break left!" shouted Kyle.

I evaded the missile but I was getting really getting pissed off at those soldiers. _Launch another missile at me you little shits, I dare you!_ I saw a missile heading straight for me from my ten o' clock and I turned my F-15 towards the spot I saw the missile launch from. I juked out the missile and fired my gun at the soldiers' last position. I was close enough to the ground that I could see the Yuke soldiers collapse as my bullets impacted around them._ I wish I didn't have to do that._ As I pulled up to go after another armory tunnel, I had another missile lock onto me and I turned towards the position it was fired from. The soldiers must've been sitting on a small weapons cache because the position erupted into an explosion when I strafed it.

"My warning lights have been going crazy!" said Chopper.

_There's got to be a better way for us to deal with these ammo caches._ I climbed to higher altitude and spotted the rest of my team. They were spread out over a wide area trying to disrupt the enemy operations. _The Yuke SAM soldiers are just as spread out as we are._

"Wardog, form up on me," I said.

"Blaze, the enemy is spread out over a wide area, this'll be a lot faster if we stay spread out to destroy the enemy armories," said Kei.

"I'm not going to risk any of you getting shot down individually. We're going to attack these targets together so that way one of us will have an opening to get a bomb inside the tunnels," I said.

I circled at seven thousand feet and waited for everyone to form up. Once we were in a four finger formation, we headed towards the nearest armory tunnel. My plan was that we all attack the same target at once with the hopes that the soldiers would become overwhelmed by us so they couldn't shoot us all down in one pass. If one of us was being locked onto, we would break off from the formation and draw attention off of whoever still had an opening to attack the target.

"Here we go people," I said as we flew in to attack a tunnel.

We were closing in and Grimm was the first to break off. _Now it's up to one of the three of us._ The tunnel we were targeting was coming up fast and Chopper was forced to break off and leave it up to me or Kei. My missile warning went off as well and I broke off my attack. Kei was the only one left and she made it to the tunnel without any trouble and released a bomb.

"Great job, we're going to keep this up as long as we can. Form up on Edge, she'll lead us to the next target," I said.

We formed up on Kei and headed for another armory tunnel. Again the soldiers tried to stave off our attack, but there weren't enough of them within range to protect the armory tunnel. I was the first one who had to break off followed by Kei. Grimm was able to get his bomb on target and he and Chopper pulled out of their attack. I was circling overhead with Kei when we saw the armory erupt into a huge explosion a few seconds later.

"I bet that left a crater as big as the ones on the moon," said Chopper

"The armories in this area have been shut down," said Thunderhead.

"Alright, let hit the next set of tunnels," I said as we formed up and headed to the next set of tunnels.

"Here they come again! Stubborn little bastards," said Chopper.

As we approached one of the other tunnels, all four of our planes had to break off our attack run. _I guess these guys wised up._ They regrouped into bigger squads and fortified the tunnels with more shoulder mounted SAMs.

"How the hell are we going to get through them now?" shouted Kyle.

"Like this," I said as I pressed on towards the tunnel entrance. "Wardog, follow me through one by one. Smokey, be ready to launch flares the second I tell you too."

I headed in first and saw two missiles come towards me from the right side of the tunnel and I called them out. Kyle started freaking out in the back seat and I told him to launch a set of flares. I saw the Sam soldiers scrambling to run away before I strafed them but they weren't fast enough and I saw their bodies launch forward from my explosive shells. As I pulled out of my strafing run, I looked back to see Grimm strafe another SAM position followed by Chopper releasing a bomb and Kei following up with another strafing run on some straggling soldiers. We did this strategy for the last two tunnels in the area before the Yukes adapted again. We had shut down the second armory and we were about to head for the next one when Erica called out a docked vessel that was being loaded, sitting in one of the rivers.

"Wardog, if you see an opportunity to disrupt the Yuke operations any further, go for it. All weapons are still free," I ordered.

Grimm and Kei commenced their attack on the docked vessel and surrounding facilities, while Chopper and I went after the third set of armory tunnels. The Yuke soldiers still had a fortified defense around the tunnels, but this time they were set up positions away from our line of fire. We broke off our attack and Chopper almost got nailed by one of the SAMs.

"You guys alright?" I asked.

"I just pictured myself walking home through the jungle," said Chopper. "Were still only half way there, but I'd like to start worrying about how we're gonna get back."

"Anxious to go home, are you?" I asked.

"I just want to get this harness off and jump into a hot tub. I'm tired of sitting on this ejection seat, I want to go home already, how about you?"

"I'll stay in the air as long as I need to," I replied.

"That's our Captain; you're built a lot tougher than I am," said Chopper.

_I was trained to be tough._ Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, Thunderhead called out enemy fighters headed our way. SAMs we couldn't see were already a pain in the ass, but having to deal with fighters was a sign that these guys wanted to push me over the edge. Chopper was already complaining about this mission and I was afraid of what he was going to bitch about next.

"Birdy, Valkyrie, holler if you need us. Chopper and I are going to provide top cover for you while you continue your attacks," I said.

Chopper and I climbed up to meet the enemy formation of MiG-29s. There were eight of them and I felt my veins become flooded with adrenaline, my mind filled with stress and rage, and my ears were ringing from the shouts coming from Justin and Kyle. _We are probably going to die_.

"Chopper, take the lead and I'll cover your tail," I said.

The MiGs split up into two groups and I followed Chopper into a dive for the deck. We were flying at full speed as we weaved in and out of the SAM covered valleys, dodging missiles from above and below. Missile warnings were going off like crazy inside my cockpit and I had to fight the urge to break off from Chopper and fend for myself. _Stay with your wingman Castillo!_

"Birdy, how you guys doing over there?" I asked as I continued to follow Chopper.

"Edge is about to send a bomb inside the last tunnel in this area," said Erica.

I followed Chopper as he quickly pulled out of the valley we were flying through and head towards the armory that was about to get destroyed. I saw Kei's F-15 at high altitude as she dropped her bomb. She was well out of range of the Yuke soldiers' missiles and her target was wide open. _Why didn't I think of that?_ Chopper and I continued our evasive maneuvering until Kei confirmed that her bomb hit its mark. As soon as Chopper heard that, he applied full throttle and flew towards the top of the armory. _I like his thinking. This is something I would've done. _We flew past the armory dome and just a couple seconds later, the entire mountain erupted and few of the pursuing planes got caught in the explosion. The fire from the blast was big enough to engulf both of our planes of a brief second and I could hear my engines struggling to stay online. I couldn't see a thing and I could hear everyone screaming our names in terror.

I saw light through the smoke and broke through. My engines coughed back to life and I looked back at the mountain where the armory was. The mountain had pretty much collapsed on top of itself, entombing everyone who was still inside. There must've been a lot high explosives stored in there because that mountain wasn't there anymore.

"Wow, it's like a volcanic eruption!" said Grimm.

"Hey… I didn't think it would blow up like that. It must be pretty bad in there… You thinkin' the same thing?" asked Chopper.

No one said anything and we formed up to take out the remaining three MiG-29s. I stuck with Chopper as he latched onto one of them and gave chase. The MiG went into a vertical climb and quickly lost speed. I knew what he was going to do and I broke off from Chopper's tail and made a wide right turn. I watched as the MiG stalled at the peak of his climb and saw his plane fall to the ground, tail first. It flew backwards as the plane's nose dropped down and its flight path looked like the bottom curve of a bell. When the MiG's nose went down further, the plane started flying forward again and it finally went into a dive. The move shook Chopper off of his tail but the pilot didn't see me break off and get a firing angle on him.

I was I position for a missile shot when the MiG pulled into another climb and I fired. The MiG couldn't get out of the way and I saw the missile impact the middle of the fuselage and the plane broke apart as it fell out of the sky.

"Captain, we still have one more armory to go and a bunch of transport helicopters taking off with supplies. What are your orders?" asked Justin.

"Nothing's changed, keep disrupting the Yuke's operations anyway you can. Maybe we can draw off more of those Stinger missiles away from the next set of tunnels," I said.

We engaged enemy helicopters and VTOL aircraft that were prepping for takeoff, vehicles that were being mobilized to shoot us down, and some of the soldiers in the jungle. We left nothing but destruction in our wake. _It's like we're the embodiment of Razgriz._

"You say something Kid?" asked Chopper.

"Huh?"

"I thought I heard you say something just now."

"It's nothing, never mind. Everyone, regroup on the last set of tunnel so we can finish this place off and go home," I said.

We regrouped and followed Kei's example by dropping bombs from high altitude on two of the tunnels. The remaining tunnel was located between the valleys and couldn't get a good angle on it with our bombs. To make matters worse, I was locked onto by twelve different missiles when I tried making a run for the tunnel. _There's got to be something we can do._

"Weapons check, now!" I said.

"I only got three bombs and one maverick left," said Chopper.

"I got four bombs left and one sidewinder," said Kei.

"I have two bombs left, Captain," said Grimm.

"Alright listen up, Chopper, Edge, you're going to drop your remaining bombs along the bottom and sides of that valley to try and thin out any soldiers in the area. Grimm and I will follow your path and strafe the area with our guns. We all don't have many flares left so use them wisely," I said. "Chopper, Edge, attack when you're ready."

Chopper and Kei flew beside each other eight hundred meters apart and headed in to bomb the valley. I saw the contrails of a dozen missiles head towards them and they launched their flares while they bombed the valley. Grimm and I followed them in and we strafed the Yuke soldiers' positions that the bombs didn't hit. _It seems clear enough._

"Good job. Grimm, cover me while I take out this tunnel," I said and I headed towards the last tunnel entrance.

Grimm strafed some more of the Yuke soldiers' positions as I dove into the valley and released my bomb on the tunnel. As soon as I dropped my bomb, I pulled up and performed an Immelmann turn to fly away from the imminent explosion from the armory. As soon as I came out of the turn, my missile warning went off again and I saw three missiles coming straight for me.

"Captain, we're out of flares!" yelled Kyle.

_Shit!_ I could see that the missiles had me boxed in and I couldn't break in any direction without one of them hitting me and I wouldn't be able to get away fast enough either. I put my plane into a continuous roll, hoping that the missiles would lose track of me. I looked back and saw the missile contrails spiraling as they close in on me as I continued rolling. _They're going to hit me!_ Kyle was yelling at me to do something, but all I could do was close my eyes and wait for the impact. I waited for a good ten seconds before I opened my eyes. _Am I dead?_ I looked behind me and saw the trail of flares falling out of the sky.

"Jesus Kid, you're lucky Nagase was able to get to you in time," I heard Chopper say.

I looked towards my nine o' clock high and saw Kei's F-15 fly towards me and maneuver into position on my left wing. We looked at each other and she winked at me. _I love you Kei._ Chopper and Grimm fell into formation as well.

"Well, I guess it's over," said Chopper.

"Mission complete, let's go home," said Kei softly.

"Nagase, you gotta say that with a little more feeling. At least we get to go home again today, right?" said Chopper.

"Yeah," she replied.

"So cheer up a little, huh?"

"You too, Chopper."

"Yeah… I know."

I could tell why everyone was so glum. I didn't want to think about how many people were buried under those mountains, but I couldn't help it. But then I remembered something; I was supposed to go back to Oured tomorrow with Kei. _I hope she remembers that she agreed to go with me._


	13. A Night to Remember

**Chapter 12 – A Night to Remember**

**November 8, 2010 0000hrs Sand Island AFB**

As soon as we arrived back at Sand Island form yesterday's mission, Kei headed straight for our room and went to sleep. I didn't know if there was something wrong with her or if she was just tired, but none of us saw her for the rest of the day. Chopper was worried that she was just under a lot of stress and that it could affect her flying in the future. I told him not to worry and that I would take care of it, but Chopper wasn't too sure. I went to bed after I packed my bag with everything I would need. My dress blues, three sets of casual clothes, my hygiene kit, and my laptop were all set in my duffel bag again.

It was the dead of night and I was woken up by an alarm of some kind and I sat up in my bed, fully alert. I looked around the room and it took me a second to realize what was going on. I relaxed as I saw Kei get out of bed, press a button on her alarm clock, and turn on the lights. I hated how loud most alarm clocks were which was why I always used my watch alarm, but Harkin still had it after I gave it to him so he could take it to R&D.

"What are you doing with that?" she asked while looking at me with concern as I dropped down from my bunk.

I looked at my right hand and saw that I was holding my KA-BAR. I always slept with it under my pillow ever since one of the guys from Pit bull tried killing me. I carried it around with me almost everywhere, but when I was out in the civilian world, I would always carry around my pocket knife from when I was a Boy Scout.

"I thought we were under attack or something," I said.

"And your first thought was to grab you knife?"

I couldn't think of an excuse as I put my knife back inside its leather holster. I sat down on Kei's bunk and rubbed my eyes. She sat down next to me, leaned her head on my shoulder, and I kissed it. I closed my eyes as I took in Kei's scent. I could smell the lavender scented shampoo along with the Midnight Pomegranate body lotion she always used. Kei grabbed hold of one of my hands and looked at me.

"Anyways, why did you set your alarm so early?" I asked

"We're on leave now, I want to get to as much free time as I can before we have be back here on the twelfth," said Kei.

_Makes sense I suppose. _I didn't know she had already packed so I assumed she must've been excited about our trip. _I guess we'd better get ready._ Kei got up and got her things to take a shower and I followed her lead. I grabbed one of my flight suits and my shower kit and headed to the showers. Once I got in there, I turned on the water and took my shirt off.

"Is there a reason you're in here so early, Chopper?" I said. _He's still not as sly as he thinks he is._

"Yeah, I'm wondering why you and Nagase are up in the middle of the night," he said as he leaned against the wall that separated the showers from the rest of the bathroom.

"You worried we were leaving you and Grimm by yourselves in case the brass sends you off without two of Wardog's members?" I asked.

"Exactly, how the hell can you leave me, Grimm, and the others here while you and Nagase screw around? How come you didn't tell us?" yelled Chopper.

I turned around to look at him and saw him still in his white t-shirt and sweat pants. I could tell he was mad to the point of physical confrontation, but he knew he couldn't beat me in a straight up fight. There was a bunch of different ways I could incapacitate Chopper but I needed him at full health. I walked towards him and stood less than a foot in front of him.

"Do you ever check your mail?" I asked as I glared at him.

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" he asked.

"Answer the goddamn question," I demanded.

"No, I don't," replied Chopper as he glared at me.

"Go check it and then come see me in Pops' workshop," I said.

Chopper gave me an annoyed look and walked off. As soon as I heard him leave, I took my shower and got ready to go. I got back to the room, grabbed my bag, and headed for Pops' workshop. I saw Master Sergeant Rachel talking with Pops as I entered the hanger and they spotted me as I walked in.

"You two are up early," I said as I set my bag down by my F-15.

"So are you, I thought you'd still be sleeping Sir," said Rachel. "What are you doing with your duffel bag all packed?"

"He and Lieutenant Nagase are going to Oured to attend a Ball that the US military is hosting and the Captain asked her to be his date," said Pops.

"Yeah, she wanted to get in as much free time in as she could before we have to come back," I said.

"Aww that is so sweet," said Rachel. "I bet some of you broke a lot of hearts when you went through high school."

I smiled as I put my bag in the storage pod of my plane when I heard that. "Actually, there was only one and she broke my heart, but I guess it worked out in the end," I said and I sat on the floor.

Pops and Rachel walked over towards me and sat down on one of the hydraulic lifts the ground crews use to replace aircraft engines. They asked me to tell them all about my high school girlfriend and I told them. They couldn't stop laughing when I told them about how it all started this one day at band camp. I kind of figured they'd laugh or make one of those kinds of jokes about it, but I'd give almost anything for one more year of band camp.

"You were in a marching band?" asked Pops as he tried to stop himself from laughing.

"Yeah and there were a lot of interesting times," I said. "Like this one time at band camp, almost half of the band collapsed from dehydration."

I said that on purpose and they continued laughing. _Thanks a lot American Pie._ When they were finally able to calm down, I told them about my ex-girlfriend and the relationship I had with her. I hadn't talked about my ex in a long time and it felt strange telling Pops and Rachel about her. The more I talked about her, I felt this kind of sadness in me but at the same time I felt frustrated. I didn't know if it was because I still had some lingering feelings for her or if was because it was the very first time I had my heart broken.

"Damn Captain, you remind me more of Captain Bartlett each day," said Pops. "He could never fully let go of his old girlfriend either. I tell ya, women are some of the strangest things a man can ever encounter in life."

"Well men are some of the dumbest things a woman has to deal with in hers," retorted Rachel.

"See what I mean?" said Pops as he tilted his head towards Rachel.

I couldn't help but laugh at that and I continued to listen as Pops and Rachel argued their points. _I honestly believe men have to suffer more than women._ As they continued arguing, I saw Kei, Chopper and Grim walk into the hanger with their bags in hand.

"Glad to see you could all make it," I said as I got up off the ground.

"Kid, how in the hell were you able to put all of us on leave and not tell us about it?" asked Chopper.

"Hey, a flight lead has to be able to look out for his people and that's what I do," I said.

"But what about the others, are they coming too?" asked Grimm.

"I couldn't get all of us to go at once, but I was able to get Nelms and Rockford the 16th through the 20th off and I got Boldman and Hardin the 27th through the 1st off. Right now, we're all on leave so feel free to go or do whatever you'd like."

I saw Grimm smile but it quickly faded away when he realized he didn't have any way to get back to the mainland. Chopper spoke up about the problem and I didn't know what to tell them. I was allowed to take Kei with me in my F-15 and fly to the mainland because I got the 'all clear' from Captain Hamilton.

"So you got us on leave but you couldn't get us a way out of here?" yelled Chopper.

"You're clever, you'll figure something out," I said.

"I can take them to the mainland," said Pops. "I got some things I have to pick up from Winchester today and it's the perfect place to get some R&R on the west coast."

"There, problem solved. Now I don't want to come back and find out that you guys caused some kind of trouble. Be safe and have a good time," I said and we all went our separate ways.

Rachel towed my F-15 out onto the flight line and Kei loaded her bag into the other storage pod. Pops wasn't allowed to load the plane with any ordinance, but he did load the gun for us and that was good enough for me.

"Do you mind if I fly?" asked Kei as I was about to climb into the cockpit.

"Sure if you want," I said and I climbed inside the back seat. _Good thing Pops was able to change out the seat cushions._

Kei started up the plane, taxied onto the runway and took off. It was still dark as we flew into the night sky towards Oured. I looked up and I saw the stars clearly for the first time in a long while. I remember how Kei told me how she would gaze up at them with her sister when she was younger and how she loved spending moments like this with people she loved. _She must be really happy right now._

"It's been a long time since I could see the stars this clearly," I said.

"Yeah, they're one of the few things that can take my mind off of everything," said Kei.

"I guess we all needed this, huh?"

"Yeah, I'm going to try and make the best of this," said Kei.

Kei was flying just over Mach 1 and our five hour flight took just under three hours this time. As we approached Oured, I watched the sun starting to peak over the horizon. The moment would've been great if I could've played a piece called '15 years ago' by Keiki Kobayashi. I felt a great sense of comfort come over me as I thought about it and I couldn't help but smile. Kei cut the throttle and I felt the plane slowdown a little.

"It's a beautiful sunrise," said Kei softly.

I wanted to embrace her right then and there. That would've been a perfect moment in time if I could've held her as we watched the sunrise. _We'll have plenty of moments like that in two days._

**0946hrs Oured Osea Capital District Air Command AFB.**

We landed forty miles east of Oured Airport, which was a long ass drive if we wanted to head that way again. It was colder than it was last time we were here and already I hated this place. Anyways, after Kei landed and parked the plane, we grabbed our bags, headed to the locker rooms, and changed into civilian clothes. I wore a thick white long-sleeved shirt under my brown leather jacket, dark blue worn down straight jeans, and my black sneakers. _Man, I miss dressing like a civilian._ I hung up my flight gear, grabbed my bag, and headed towards the front desk. I asked the receptionist if I could use the phone so I could call a cab and find a hotel while I waited for Kei. When I finally saw her come out of the locker room, she was wearing a green button-up sweater over a white shirt, and blue jeans tucked inside black knee high heel leather boots.

"Wow… you look lovely," I said.

Kei smiled and we walked out of the building into the parking lot where we got inside the cab I called. Once we got in, I asked the driver, Mike, to take us to a car dealership that wasn't too far from the base and I could tell Kei was wondering why I wanted to go there. _I wonder if she knows about this place._ Kei and I just talked the entire way there. When we arrived at the dealership, we got out of the cab, and grabbed our bags.

"Hey thanks again Mike, I really appreciate this," I said and Kei looked at me in confusion.

"No problem Antonio, you gonna be in town for long?" asked Mike.

"No, I have to get back before the 12th, but tell your mom I said hi."

"Will do man, take care of yourself out there," said Mike and he drove off.

"Who was that, and why did he leave without you paying him?" asked Kei.

"That's one of the guys I helped out in middle school. He was getting beaten up by a group of kids and I stepped in to help him out. Later on, I saved his mom when a dog attacked her. He was one of the very first friends I've ever made," I told her.

"Oh, so is that how you got that scar on your right shoulder blade?" asked Kei.

I felt myself become tense and a little pissed off about how I got the scar on my shoulder blade. I don't think I could've told her about it just yet. I nodded and cover up my melancholy with a smile. I grabbed our bags and walked into the dealership. The man at the front desk noticed us come in and greeted us with a smile.

"How can I help you two today?" he asked.

"Yeah, my wife and I are looking for a vehicle to start our family with," I said as I patted Kei's belly.

The man looked at me surprised because he could tell that we weren't married and Kei looked at me as she blushed. She punched me in the arm and I chuckled as I rubbed it.

"I'm just kidding, is Rico here?" I asked.

"Yeah he's around back, I'll take you to him," said the man and we followed him towards the back of the building. The man pointed Rico out to me and left us.

Rico was working on a car in one of the maintenance bays and I could almost see him smiling as he was turning his wrench. _It seems like he's happy to still be working with his hands._ Kei and I walked over to him and stood behind him while he worked on a white BMW E92. I dropped our bags and the sound of them hitting the ground startled him a little. He popped is head out from under the hood of the car and stared at me for a couple of seconds before he realized it was me. Rico was more of a Mexican than I was, but not as well built. He was taller, darker, and three years older than me. His dark brown hair was spiked up and he always seemed to have this goofy looking grin on his face.

"Dude, Antonio! How've you been, I haven't seen you in age's man," said Rico as shook his hand.

"I've been great man, nice to see you still fixing other peoples' mode of transportation," I said smiling back as I looked at the car he was working on.

"I'd rather be working on cars than planes with shrapnel in them. So who's your friend?" asked Rico as he noticed Kei.

"This is 1st Lieutenant Kei Nagase. She's my wingman and my date to the Ball," I said.

"Hello," said Kei as she smiled and shook his hand.

"It's nice to meet you. I hope you keep this guy out of trouble in the air," said Rico and he turned towards me. "So, what do you need?"

"I'm here to pick up Lara," I said and Kei looked at me surprised, but she didn't say anything.

"Nah man, you can't have her. I've been taking care of her ever since you left for OCS."

"Dude, come on. I'm only here for three more days. After that, I'll bring her back and you can watch over her again," I said.

Rico stayed quiet for a few seconds and thought about what I had said. "Alright, fine. Wait here," he said and he walked off.

After he was out of sight, I turned towards Kei and saw that she was leaning to one side with her arms folded and raised one of her eyebrows at me. Her body language told me that I had some explaining to do.

"So who's Lara?" she asked.

"My car," I said.

"Your car," asked Kei befuddled.

"It's a guy thing. A car is like a woman; you treat her right, and she'll treat you just as well."

Kei relaxed a little and just decided to go along with what I told her. We waited for a couple of minutes before I finally started to wonder what was taking Rico so long. Kei had walked into the garage and sat down on one of the benches and I sat down next to her.

"So how do you know this guy?" she asked.

"He was one of the ground crew members that took care of my plane when I was flying as Mobius 1. He would always complain about the amount of damage my plane took every time I came back from a sortie," I said.

"There's something I still don't understand," Kei began. "I've seen a picture of you in the paper after you destroyed Stonehenge, but it's not you… Who was that in the picture?"

"I can't tell you who he really is, but he was supposed to be my decoy. If word got out to the public that one of the world's greatest pilots was just a kid, it could've revealed the existence of Pit bull. I honestly didn't care if anyone found out about it, but I had my orders. Anyways, we would switch places with each other whenever I was called on to go on mission. Only a handful of people knew who I really was and they all had to keep it under wraps," I said.

_I wonder if she remembers what my decoy really looked like. _I looked out into the parking lot and I scanned some of the surrounding buildings and I felt like something wasn't right. I knew exactly what it was but I couldn't let Kei in on what it was. Just then I heard a car approaching and I got up to see it. _It's her!_

I saw Rico pull up in my dark blue 2007 Audi S4. _Man I missed driving this thing._ I know Kei wasn't really impressed but I didn't care if she was. I could hear the engine purring as Rico pulled it up beside me and got out. It might not have seemed like much, but a lot of work went into putting my car together. The only original part of the car was the frame.

"Here she is, Antonio. Even after everything that's happened, I'm still wondering how they got half of the aftermarket parts for this," said Rico.

"I would've just settled for the engine you put in," I said. "I'm still surprised the vehicle industry rejected your blueprints."

"I'm not complaining. It's making me some serious coin though."

"What are you two talking about?" asked Kei.

I popped the trunk of my car and placed our bags inside. "Well you see, Rico here was able to come up with an engine design that's extremely fuel efficient, but it doesn't sacrifice the engine's power or performance while at the same time, reducing the amount of emissions from the exhaust. I can go almost half a year without filling up my gas tank," I said.

"That's amazing, why didn't they put the design into production?"

"Because they said the concept would decrease the demand for fossil fuels, which would put a lot of the oil companies out of business and cost tons people their jobs. If I was able to get back to Earth, I'd be making bank with this design," said Rico as he walked back into the garage.

Kei got in the car and I followed Rico into the building. He was digging through one of storage rooms looking for something until he found it. _I haven't seen this stuff in a while._ He walked out of the room and handed me the bag. I looked inside of it and saw a couple of my old pass ports, a few hundred dollars in cash from various countries, my wallet, and cell phone.

"I don't know if you'll need all of it but here you go man," said Rico.

"I guess all I really need is the phone and my wallet. I hope to God that I don't need to come back for the rest of this stuff," I said as I put the phone in my pocket and turned to walk off.

"Wait," said Rico and I stopped. "Harkin wanted me to give you this. He said this'll give you a better way to contact him in case you really needed him."

Rico handed me a rectangular black box and I opened it. It was an iPhone 4 in a protective rubber case that Harkin was able to acquire from Earth by some means. Rico gave me the rundown on how it was upgraded and how to use it. The more he told me about it, the more I thought about leaving it behind. _I really don't need anything like this anymore. _Rico insisted that I should still take it and I did. _At least I can call my mom and my sister now._

"Be careful out there," said Rico.

"I'll do my best, but I have to look out for my team too," I said.

"Glad to see you still have your morals with you," said Rico as I shook his hand and left.

**1600hrs **

Kei and I drove all over Oured trying to get ourselves set up for our three days of freedom. We had lunch, walked around the city a little, and even saw a movie. Now we had to deal with the stresses of civilian life. Everyone was just getting off work and heading home and we were stuck in congested traffic lanes trying to get to the hotel. What pissed me off more than the traffic were the pedestrians who weren't paying attention when they crossed the street. Kei found out just how vulgar my language was when I was annoyed.

"I didn't think I'd ever see you this mad," said Kei as we slowly moved up the road.

"Yelling at people to get out of the way might make it seem like I'm mad, but I'm not. I had to deal with this all the time when I went to college," I said.

"If this isn't the angry you, then I'm afraid to see what the angry you really looks like."

I smiled at her remark. "Just hope you never have to see me angry," I said.

When we finally got to our destination, it was starting to get dark outside. Our hotel was smack dab in the heart of the city. The surrounding buildings towered overhead and I couldn't look down any of the roads to get a clear view of the sky unless I tilted my head back forty-five degrees. I parked my car in one of the multi-story car parks that was connected to the hotel we were going to be staying at. I wasn't exactly tired from all the traveling we did, but I just wanted to relax and I'm sure Kei felt the same way. We got our bags and headed across the walkway that connected the car park to the hotel and went inside. I honestly thought the place would be a lot busier or at least livelier. I could hear our footsteps echoing off the walls and Kei's boots probably alerted everyone on the first floor that we were here.

"Ugh, I probably should've bought a new pair of shoes while we were driving around town," said Kei.

"Are those the only pair you have," I asked as we continued walking down the hall.

"I could try to find some way to wear my flight boots with my civilian wardrobe."

"Nah, I think you look lovely enough as it is."

Kei smiled and nudged me as we continued walking towards the front desk. There were some people sitting in the lobby reading magazines while others looked up at us when we came into view. _Yeah, they heard us coming._ When we got to the front desk, I told them I called earlier and reserved a room with two queen sized beds for three nights and the lady behind the counter looked me up.

Once everything cleared, she handed me two key cards for the room, which was on the fourth floor, and Kei and I rode the elevator up. We got inside the room and it was pretty cozy. A simple bathroom, a TV, a small refrigerator, and both beds were a sign of relief after a long day. I set my bag on the bed, opened it, and took out my new phone. _I guess I should tell Lieutenant Colonel Harkin what's up._ I sat down on the bed and sent my message to Harkin so he knew I was in Oured again and so I could get my tickets to the Ball. Kei was lying down on the other bed with her arm over her eyes. _I guess I could rest my eyes for a little bit_. I didn't think I would actually fall asleep and I woke up half an hour later. Kei was awake and I saw her lying in her bed as she gazed up at the ceiling. It was right then that I realized I was getting hungry.

"You hungry," I asked as I looked over at Kei.

Kei didn't move when she answered me and suggested that we order room service, to which I protested against. I wanted food that didn't taste like crap and I suggested we could go to this kick ass Italian restaurant that I knew about. Kei perked her head up and looked at me like she didn't want to ride in a car anymore.

"So where's this place you know of?" she asked.

"It's just a couple blocks down the road. We could walk there if you'd like," I said.

It took some persuasion but she finally agreed to go and we headed downstairs. When we got off the elevator, I noticed one of the people that we saw earlier was still sitting in the lobby. He was a bald middle-aged man, wearing a black trench coat. I saw him watching me and Kei out of the corner of my eye as we walked by and headed out of the hotel lobby.

**1847hrs **

We arrived at the restaurant that I told Kei about. It was an Italian place called Giovanni's that was very popular among the high society people of Oured. Everyone was dressed to impress while Kei and I were dressed casually. I honestly hated dressing in suits because they always seemed to fit me too tightly and I hated that feeling of constricted blood flow around my neck and waist. The host showed us to our seats and handed us our menus. Kei's eyes widened when she saw how overpriced everything was. The average person would spend around $50 on a meal and a couple would usually spend around $110.

"Why would you want to come here and eat?" asked Kei quietly.

"Well, after almost three months of eating nothing but the food in the mess hall, I figure I get at least one good meal before we go back and I honestly don't care about the price," I replied.

"Yeah, but I don't think I'll be able to fit a meal like this into my budget. I still have to find a dress tomorrow."

"Have you looked at your bank account ever since the war started?" I asked as I looked up from my menu.

Kei shook her head and I handed her my phone so she could check her account. I continued to look at the menu when she handed me my phone back and I could tell she was surprised. We were still getting paid our regular pay grade and we also were receiving our combat bonuses for every sortie we went on. Since there was really nothing for us to buy on Sand Island, we didn't have much to spend on anything. Kei was still surprised at how much she had made and I told her that dinner was on me. _I still have my assets from six years ago, plus the interest I made after I invested it is still accumulating nicely._ We were on our actual first date together and we were both having a good time. We ate, drank, and laughed for a good hour and half. The night made us oblivious to everything that was going on in the world. The war, our past, and the guilt we felt before didn't exist at all.

**November 10, 2010 0630hrs Oured hotel room**

I was becoming too comfortable sleeping with Kei, which was a good and bad thing. The good reason is self-explanatory while the bad reason was that we wanted it to happen more often. I honestly just liked cuddling with her and I considered anything more than that as a bonus. When I woke up this morning, the first thing I noticed was Kei smiling as she looked at me while we laid next to each other.

"Good morning handsome," said Kei.

"Good morning beautiful," I replied and I kissed her.

We got up, got ready to start the day, and headed out so Kei could continue to do her shopping from yesterday. After yesterday, I found out just how annoying shopping with Kei was after she spent, literally, an hour asking me which shoes she should get to go with her dress, which I wasn't allowed to see. She kept asking me if she should get one or the other and every time I picked one for her, she would choose the other one and continue to debate which pair she should get. Today was going to be a lot simpler; all we had to do was pick up Kei's dress and visit Lieutenant Colonel Harkin so we could get our tickets. We headed out to get everything ready for tonight and everything was went pretty smoothly. We got the tickets and we got Kei's dress, which I still wasn't allowed to see.

It was around noon when we got everything done, the only problem was that we didn't want to spend the rest of the day back at the hotel. We decided to walk around Oured to see if we could find anything to do to pass the time. We continued to walk around the city until we came across a huge park where we saw groups of people performing yoga, running along the paths, and we even saw some kids playing on the swings.

"We should join the yoga group," said Kei.

"You can go ahead, I'll just watch from a distance," I replied.

"Oh come on, you might like it."

I decided to try it and we asked the instructor if we could join. The lady said it was ok and we took off our shoes and picked a spot within the group. _This should be interesting._ We started performing all these stretches and I must've impressed some of the others in the yoga group with how well I was able to perform the stretches. I was nowhere near as limber as Kei, but I was still pretty flexible for a guy. Afterwards, Kei and I just walked around the park until we decided to sit one of the swing sets. I wanted to take a picture of Kei as she swung back and forth. Her white skirt, denim jacket, and black hair fluttered in the air as she smiled. I didn't want to see that smile disappear.

"So, what do you plan on doing after the war," Kei asked me.

"I really don't know… I'll probably stay in the military or become part of the archeological expeditions. I love adventure," I said.

"Is that why you joined the military?"

I wanting adventure was only a minor reason why I joined the military; it also had a little to do with pride, me not having any other options, and so that I could be counted on if people needed help. The biggest reason was entirely personal and only my mom and Lieutenant Colonel Harkin knew about it. The same reason seemed to be my only reason to live also, but the more I was with Kei, the more I felt like I had reason to live and keep fighting.

"A little, but it mostly it was because I love the feeling of flying," I said trying to look thoughtful as I sat on the swing next to Kei. "What about you?"

"I haven't thought that far ahead yet. My original plan was to do my four years and then work with the people at Basset, but…." said Kei and her voice trailed off. I could tell she wasn't really bothered by anything and that she was just unsure about her plan now. "I don't know. This war has given me a new perspective on things. I know it might sound strange but I love the rush I get during a fight."

"You should join the women's MMA league," I said jokingly.

I got out of my swing and stood behind Kei. I held her hands as she gripped the chains that suspended her in the air and as she leaned her head back, I kissed her on the forehead. I wasn't sure what was in my future, but I was going to do my best to keep Kei in it.

**1747hrs Oured Hotel**

"Come on Kei, we're going to be late," I said.

"Alright, I heard you the first time!" she snapped on the other side of the bathroom door.

I figured Kei would take forever to get ready so I told her that we had to be at the ball at 1800hrs when it actually started at 1830hrs. I just wanted to get there on time so I figured I'd have to trick Kei into getting ready sooner so we could make it on time. I was all ready to go and I was looking over myself in the mirror. My dress blues were tailored to my body, but they felt too snug on me. My black top was decorated with my medals, pins, gold US Marine insignia buttons, and my rank insignias were pinned on my shoulders. _I should've gotten my hair cut today._ My hair was long enough to just barely pass my regs, but I still liked it because I looked a little like Tom Cruise from Top Gun. I looked back at the clock and noticed it was 1753hrs and I had to convince Kei to hurry up.

"Kei, it's a ten minute drive to get there and it starts in seven minutes," I said urgently.

I saw the bathroom door open and I saw Kei step out into view. She was wearing a dark blue satin dress that shimmered like sunlight reflecting off the ocean water. The dress was held up by one shoulder strap that went over her left shoulder and covered her breast. It hugged Kei's waist and hips and ran straight down her legs. The length of it grazed the ground as she walked and I could see her leg through the slit in the side that ran from her knee on down. Her black high heels were elevated at the front by half an inch so her dress wouldn't drag along the ground as much. Kei was still putting on a pair of sterling silver earrings that dangled a little past her jaw bone when she came out of the bathroom. I was in awe when I saw how beautiful she looked. She wasn't wearing any makeup other than lip gloss and she didn't seem to style her hair at all.

"Alright, let's go," said Kei as she gave me an annoyed look.

I was in a trance as I kept looking at her and I couldn't tear my gaze away from her as she moved around the room grabbing her black sweater and pocket book. I could only stand there and watch until she grabbed the door knob and looked back at me.

"What?"

"Uh, nothing it's just…. I just," I stammered as I tried to complement her. "You look amazing."

Kei blushed as I started to walk towards her and checked to make sure I had everything we needed. The tickets, the room keys, my car keys, my cover, my wallet, and phone were all accounted for and we were good to go. We made our way to the elevators and headed down stair towards the car park. I noticed the bald middle-aged man, who I saw when we went out for dinner our first night here, was still sitting in the lobby. _Seems a bit odd that he keeps sitting here, waiting for something._ He kept watching us as we walked down the hall towards the car park. Kei put on her sweater when she felt how cold it was outside and she hugged my arm trying to stay warm. When we got to my car, I opened the door for Kei and she got in. I had a habit of acting like a gentleman when I was going to some kind of formal gathering, but only during nights like tonight.

"You look handsome in your uniform," said Kei as I got in.

I thanked her, started up my car, and head to the place where the Ball was being held. Our destination was a luxury hotel and we could see the valets helping the other attendees out of their cars and entering the driver's seat so they could park their cars. I could tell Kei wasn't expecting to see as many people here, but there were a lot of Marines still stuck on Strangereal.

"I thought you said it started at 6:30," said Kei.

"Yeah, but I had to trick you so we'd get here on time. I know how women are," I said and Kei jabbed me in the arm.

I pulled up beside one of the valets and he opened the door for Kei and she stepped out. He was just a kid and he was in just as much awe as I was when he saw Kei. I got out of my car, put on my cover, and handed the kid my car key. _I hope to God he doesn't damage my car somehow._ I walked with Kei into the front door and handed the receptionist our tickets and she allowed us inside. I wasn't expecting the Ball room to be as big as it was. There were a lot of other people sitting everywhere and I scanned the room trying to find Lieutenant Colonel Harkin who was supposed to be here. I continued looking around and finally found him when he waved at me over to the table he was sitting at. I was wondering why he was wearing a tuxedo because he was still in the Marine Corp. Harkin got up as we approached him and he shook mine and Kei's hands.

"So, how's your time back in Oured been treating you?" he asked Harkin.

"It's not so bad once you get used to the freedom of doing what you want without a guard breathing down your neck," I replied. "I was also able to catch up with a few old friends."

"Yeah, so I've heard. How's Rico? I haven't spoken to him in a couple months."

"He's doing well, he gave me your little gift you left for me," I said as I pulled out my phone and showed it to him.

"What about your sister? Have you gone to see her?" asked Harkin.

"I haven't been able to get a hold of Amanda ever since she quit her job at the gym," I replied. "Do you know if my mom was still stationed at Cornwall?"

"I got transferred to McNealy," said a voice behind me.

I looked back and saw my mother standing there behind me. I felt myself choking up as I got up and hugged her. I hadn't had any contact with her ever since I headed back to Heierlark to finish flight training. I released her and looked at her as she stood there in uniform. She was wearing her Ball dress blues and I saw she had finally gotten her rank sewn onto the sleeves of her jacket.

"I missed you so much," said my mother and she noticed my rank. "When did you become a Captain?"

"The day after the war started. My flight lead go shot down and there was no one else to take command of the squadron, so they chose me. I wasn't sure about leading them but they seem to trust me," I said. "Speaking of which, this is my wingman; 1st Lieutenant Kei Nagase."

"It's very nice to meet you ma'am," said Kei as she shook my mother's discolored hand.

"Please, call me Liz. I should be calling you 'ma'am'," replied my mother.

We all continued talking as we waited for the ceremony to start and when it did, we all stood up as we watched the Commandant's speech, listened to the US national anthem, and the cutting of the cake. There was one tradition where the oldest Marine in attendance would hand down a piece of the cake to the youngest Marine here. It shocked the hell out of all of us when we found out that she was only had turned seventeen three months ago. Afterwards, the General in charge of the US forces on Strangereal made a toast and mentioned the war, saying that we must help the Osean army bring Yuktobania to its knees. _For once, I'd like to be under the command of someone who isn't a war monger._ I wasn't the only one who felt that way. No one showed it, but I could feel the tension in the air from the other people who didn't like being part of this war. I found it weird that civilians always supported the troops, even though the troops didn't support the war. _We might get paid to fight, but that doesn't me we like doing it. _

After the opening ceremony ended, the Ball went into full swing. The buffet line was moving, the alcohol was flowing, and the people were dancing. The DJ would take turns playing music with the band that was made up of wind, string, and percussion instruments. Everyone ate, drank, and had a good time. I spent a lot of time talking with my mother, Lieutenant Colonel Harkin, and Kei about what we've been up to since the war began. Eventually, the subject of our war crimes came up.

"I have to use the bathroom, excuse me," I said.

I didn't want to talk about that day anymore because I've had it with no one believing us. We might have been cleared of all charges, but that didn't mean people believed we were innocent. On the way to the restroom, a major who was about seven years older than me stopped me in the crowded hallway. I've never met him before, but he seemed to know me.

"You're Captain Castillo, aren't you?" he asked.

"Yes Sir," I said.

"I've heard about you. Only twenty-three years old and you've already become one of the most popular people in the war."

"Thank you, sir," I said and I tried to walk off, but he stopped me.

"I bet you love all the glamour and praise you get from everyone in the Osean military, but I guess you think that's assign that you can push your luck," scoffed the Major. "I bet your mother must be proud."

I knew what he was talking about and I was so close to running my fist through the Major's face when he said that, but the last thing I wanted was another court martial for striking a superior officer. I could only clench my fist and look into the Major's eyes in anger, trying to hold back my rage. I wanted a reason to fight him but the only way I could get away scot free was if he threw the first punch.

"Is there a problem here?" said a Colonel as who had walked up beside me.

"No problem sir," said the Major. "Just giving the Captain here a couple pointers for when he's out there taking care of our boys on the frontline."

"Don't give me that shit Major, I could tell you were trying to get a rise out of him. If you give the Captain anymore trouble, I'll have you written up for disregarding code of conduct," said the Colonel and I walked off with him. _I don't know who this man is, but I owe him one._

"Sorry you had to deal with that Captain, not everyone believes that you and your team were guilty. Colonel Arthur Knight, it's a pleasure to meet you," he said as I shook his hand.

"Mine as well, sir. Thank you for helping me out back there," I replied.

"I believe I should be thanking you. If it weren't for you my son would've probably died during Operation Footprint and never would've gotten to hear that he became a father," said Colonel Knight.

"That was your son?" I asked surprised and the Colonel only looked at me, wondering what I was talking about. "Sorry, during that mission, I overheard some guys talking over the radio and one of them told Terry that his son was born."

"Sergeant Terry Knight is my son and my grandson, Leon, was born the day of Operation Footprint," said Colonel Knight.

I continued talking with Colonel Knight about military related stuff. He even gave me a few tips on how to deal with the brass whenever they got on my case for making a decision they don't approve of. After a couple of minutes, Lieutenant Colonel Harkin came up beside me and told me some news that made me want to run for cover.

"Listen Kid, you're not going to like this next bit of news, but umm…. She's here."

I felt my heart take off racing when he told me that and I saw who he was talking about. My ex-girlfriend from high school, Becca, was here with her boyfriend. I heard that she was dating someone in the military, but I didn't know she was dating a Marine.

"It's… okay sir, I've moved on," I said.

"We both know that's a load of horse crap, Kid. I know you'll never be able to let go of her, no matter how hard you try."

Harkin was right. Even after six years of not seeing my ex-girlfriend, I still held onto the thought of her for some reason. Maybe it was because she was the first girl I've ever fallen in love with, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that Kei and I have been through more than me and my ex. I continued to look at her over Harkin's shoulder and I looked away when she saw me. I excused myself from Colonel Knight and quickly walked back to the table we were sitting at.

"I just hope he's able to find what he's looking for…. What took you so long? Are you trying to avoid your date?" asked my mom as I took my seat.

"No, a Colonel wanted me thank me for saving his son during Operation Footprint. So, what were you talking about?" I asked Kei.

"Your mother was just telling me some embarrassing stories about you when you were younger," said Kei.

"Well, I hope you're still in a good mood, because I'm pretty sure I saw Becca walking around here with her boyfriend," said my mom.

"Yeah, I know…" I said as I ran my fingers through my hair.

"Who's Becca?" asked Kei.

"She was Antonio's high school girlfriend. She was a very sweet girl but she always seemed like she didn't know what she wanted in life," said my mom. "Becca was 'The one who got away'."

"It's all in the past. I've moved on," I said trying to reassure Kei.

"Is that her," asked Kei as she looked past me.

I turned around and saw Becca coming towards our table. She was wearing a lilac dress with silver trim that seemed to accent her tan skin. Her brown eyes seemed to be locked onto me as she walked towards us and her dark brown hair with blonde highlights flowed behind her like the contrails of my plane. I noticed she was also wearing the necklace I gave her for her eighteenth birthday.

"Hey Antonio," said Becca as she moved in to hug me.

"Hey, I didn't think I'd see you here," I replied trying to be friendly.

"Yeah well, my boyfriend asked me to come with him tonight. Is this your date?" she asked as she looked at Kei.

"Yeah, this is Kei Nagase and Kei, this is Rebecca Morrison," I said.

"Hi, so how do you know Antonio?" asked Becca.

"He's my flight lead," replied Kei.

Just then, Becca's date walked up beside her and he wrapped his arm around her waist. He was only a Corporal and he just seemed like one of those guys who had to be better than everyone else because he looked like he didn't want be here. I didn't even know the guy and already I didn't like him.

"This is my boyfriend, Tyler Blum. He's a tank mechanic," said Becca.

"Sup," said Tyler.

I know I wasn't the only one who looked at the guy in disbelief when he said that. _Everyone in the military should know that's not how you greet an officer._ I looked at everyone at the table and I could see that my mother wanted to go off on him, but I gave her a look that said 'let me handle it'.

"It's Captain, Corporal, but I'll let that one slide," I said and I shook his hand.

"Sorry Captain, I'm still trying to get used to all of this. I'm in the reserves," he said.

_Regardless, you should still know better. _"Oh? So how long have you been in the military?"

"About four years now. I'm trying to finish school under my GI Bill and I plan on working as an engineer once I get out," said Tyler.

"Well I hope that goes well for you, Corporal," I said and they walked off.

It was right then that I remembered why I always felt mad every time I saw Becca. _I can't believe I dated that idiot._ I kept thinking back to the time when we broke up and Becca told me it was because I was smothering her after she complained that I didn't pay enough attention to her. I did love Becca and I promised that I always would, even though I regretted it. I turned my focus off of her and set my mind on Kei.

"She seems…. Alright," said Kei.

"If you say so," I said as I took a drink from my wine glass.

"A bit jealous of her aren't you Kei?" my mom asked.

Kei looked at her, wondering what she was talking about. If there was one thing that my mother was good at, it was reading people. She could sense Kei's jealousy when Becca came over to our table. I noticed that in Kei as well when I saw her shoot a jealous glance at Michelle when I told Kei that she was supposed to fly with me.

"What? No, why would I be jealous of her?" Kei asked.

As Kei and my mother talked with each other, I looked around the room and saw a familiar face. It was the bald middle-aged man I saw from the hotel lobby. I knew that he couldn't have been here by coincidence and I could tell he was watching us. I started up some small talk with Lieutenant Colonel Harkin to make it seem like I hadn't noticed him.

"You see that bald middle-aged Gunnery Sergeant towards your eight o' clock?" I asked and Harkin nodded when he spotted him. "I noticed him sitting in the lobby of the hotel ever since we got here and he's been following us since we went to dinner our first night back in Oured."

"Are you sure about that?" asked Harkin.

"I'm pretty damn sure. I could tell we were being followed ever since we went to pick up my car from Rico. I don't know what their motives are, but I know it can't be good."

Harkin smiled as he listened to what I was saying and he knew I had that keen sense of telling when something didn't seem right. Harkin pulled out his cell phone and made a call. Within minutes, I looked back to see the man, who I claimed was following me, being escorted away by some of the security guards that were overlooking the Ball.

"We'll see what we can get out of him, but in the meantime, I'll think I'll go for a dance," said Harkin.

"With who," I asked.

"Who do you think?" he said looking at my mom.

"But sir, what about…" I started to say but he cut me off.

"Way ahead of you," said Harkin as he stood up and emphasized what he was wearing. Harkin knew the regs of an officer fraternizing with an enlisted Marine and he tried to be clever with getting away with dancing with my mom.

Harkin used to be married, but his wife divorced him after ten years of marriage. I only met his wife, Elizabeth, only a couple of time and she seemed like a very nice lady. Their son, Andrew, was a good kid, but I never really knew him. I guess Harkin's job interfered so much with his family life that his wife couldn't take it anymore. That was my theory anyways, but Harkin never really talked about it. I watched as my mom took his hand and he led her to the dance floor. I smiled as I watched them dance and Kei smiled too. _I guess I should get one dance in with Kei before the night is over._

"Shall we dance?" I asked as I held out my hand towards Kei.

"I'd love too."

She grabbed my hand and we walked towards the dance floor and picked a spot. Kei wrapped her arms around my neck and I held her waist as we swayed back and forth to the song 'Far Away'. I gazed into her eyes as we danced and sang along to the lyrics of the song. We were the only two people in the world and I felt right at home. That is until Becca backed into me as I was dancing with Kei. _She did that on purpose._

"Sorry, I didn't see you there," said Becca as she brought her uninterested boyfriend to the dance floor.

"Don't worry about it," I said and I continued dancing with Kei until the song ended.

"Do you think the band will let you play the piano they have over there?" asked Kei.

"It couldn't hurt to ask. Why, you want me to woo you with a song?" I asked sarcastically.

Kei smiled at me when I said that and I could tell that's exactly what she was thinking._ Crap. Oh well, I guess I can make this work for everyone here._ I walked over to the band director and he said it was alright for me to play a song on the piano when the others of his group came back from their break. In the meantime, I continued dancing with Kei to some more upbeat music. Of course, it wasn't so much dancing as it was grinding up on each other. Even so, Kei and I were still having a good time, despite some of the incidents that occurred during the Ball when some drama broke out between people and caused commotion at some points during the night. Two Marines got into a fight after they started a metaphorical pissing contest and some lady started screaming at her date because, I guess, she found out he cheated on her with another woman that was here. _Jeez, it's like high school prom all over again. Except for the fact that people are more intoxicated and are trained to kill. _

"You'd think that people would learn to grow up a little," said Kei as we sat back down at the table.

"That's the thing about most Marines, they know not everyone can become one of us and their pride gets to them. That's why you might hear about the argument between which branch is better; the Army or the Marines," I said.

"Yeah, I've heard Corporal DaVaughn arguing about that with one of the Army guys. What's the difference between the two branches?" asked Kei.

I took a drink from my wine glass before I started talking. "The difference is that the Army is its own branch of the military while the Marine Corp is actually a subsection of the navy, but we don't actually see it like that. The Army is actually limits itself to ground and rotary aircraft operation. They also have their airborne and spec op units. The Marines on the other hand are actually more of a spearhead operations group. The US Marines have a saying that 'Every Marine is a Rifleman', which is pretty self-explanatory. I'm not sure if that applies to the Osean Marines, but they're structured the same way we are. We operate fixed winged aircraft, helicopters, tanks, and infantry while working closely with the navy," I said.

"So you're kind of like the perfect fighting group," said Kei smiling.

"Hey, you said that, not me," said and we chuckled at that.

Kei looked around the Ballroom and started asking me more questions about the Marine Corp, like its history and why the English bulldog was our mascot. I answered her questions the best I could and we continued talking for a little bit longer until I noticed the band director waving me over towards him. Kei undid the shoe straps around her ankles and followed me over to the band director who was standing on stage. I asked the director if his band knew how to play 'Back at One' and he said they did.

"Sweet, but I can't sing worth a damn," I said.

"Don't worry sir, we got you covered," said the director and he called over one of his people to the microphone.

I sat on the piano bench and adjusted my seat so I was comfortable and Kei sat next to me. _Here we go._ I grabbed the microphone near the piano and got everyone's attention.

"Uh, my date wanted me to play a song for her and it looks like I'm not getting out of this one, but why don't I just do this for all the lovely couples here as well?" I said and I looked at my mother and Harkin as they stood on the dance floor, smiling at me.

I cracked my knuckles, took a deep breath, and started playing the beginning of the song. My fingers glided over the ivory keys as I moved my body to the music. As the finished the introduction to the song, the vocalist began to sing and the crowd awed and cheered as they heard the song come to life.

_It's undeniable...that we should be together..._

_It's unbelievable how I used to say that I'd fall never..._

_The basis is need to know, if you don't know just how I feel,_

_Then let me show you now that I'm for real..._

_If all things in time, it will reveal...Yeah..._

As the vocalist began to sing the chorus, couples started walking towards the dance floor and started swaying to the rhythm of the song. Kei swayed with me as I continued playing along with the piano. I looked at her and saw her smiling as I continued playing past the second verse.

_One...you're like a dream come true..._

_Two... just want to be with you..._

_Three... girl it's plain to see...that you're the only one for me...and_

_Four...repeat steps one thru three..._

_Five... make you fall in love with me..._

_If ever I believe my work is done...then I start back at one._

I looked out to the crowd and saw my mother smiling as she danced with Harkin. _I'm really happy for the both of them._ I saw almost everyone in attendance dancing to the music, but I couldn't help but notice Becca standing alone in the middle of the crowd, looking at me and Kei. Kei saw this too and placed one hand on my arm and the other on my rib cage like she was stating her dominance over me. _The last thing I want to be is someone they fight over._ I shook off the feeling and continued playing the piano. Even after the song ended, I continued playing and made a smooth transition to another piece that I learned. It was a slow, yet moving piece that seemed perfect for a couple who were having a romantic moment. Kei stayed by my side and I could feel her heart beat as she moved closer to me. I closed my eyes and took in the moment as I continued to press down on the keys of the piano. I was free. I had no worries about anything and I felt that if I died at that very moment, I would forever be at peace.

As I opened my eyes, I heard a couple of the string instruments join in on my improvisation. It was like they knew just how to blend into what I was playing. I couldn't help but smile as they followed my lead and I led them into playing '15 Years Ago'. Everyone applauded as I finished playing and Kei hugged me as I stood up and we walked off stage together. We danced a little more and got our picture taken together before the night ended and everything seemed to be going smoothly, until the Major who stopped me earlier, came over to our table, heavily intoxicated. He had a glazed look in his eyes and he was staggering all over the place. I knew drinking made people act stupid and after what he said to me earlier, I figured he was going to try and start something with me.

"Captain, you're an embarrassment… to this Corp. I would've had your ass locked up… And left you to rot in prison for those people you murdered," slurred the Major.

"You're drunk, sir, you should go lay down," I said trying to make him go away.

"I'm not drunk you little shit, I just a little buzzed."

"Major, you should probably go home and get some rest before you hurt yourself," I said as I stood up and grabbed his arms.

He threw my hands off of him and he struggled to keep his balance. "Who the hell are you to tell me what to do? Do you know who I am?"

"No sir, did you forget?" I said sarcastically.

"Ah, screw you," he stammered and he looked over at Kei. "Well hey there little lady, how 'bout you ditch this jerk off and come with me."

"No thanks," replied Kei while she gave the Major a disgusted look.

"I wasn't asking, now get your little ass over here," said the Major as he grabbed Kei arm.

Kei yanked her arm out of his hand and the Major tried grabbing her again. Kei slapped the Major across the face and he fell to the floor while bystanders watched as everything unfolded. _Dammit, not now!_ The Major got onto his feet and looked at Kei in anger. He raised his hand and was about to strike her but I caught his arm before he could touch her. The Major looked back at me as I shook my head at him and he used his other hand to punch me in the jaw. _I knew that was coming, but now I can't get in trouble for trying to defend myself._ I let go of the Major's arm and he turned towards me to try and throw another punch at me. I deflected the punch and caught his other arm when he tried to follow up with another. I put him into an arm bar but he stuck me in the jaw with his elbow and again, I let go of him. I staggered backwards and saw a couple of Marines try and hold him back, but he knocked them out and got free of their hold. _How can someone this drunk still do all of this?_ Once the Major got free, he grabbed one of the steak knives off of one of the nearby tables and came at me again. He tried to thrust the knife into my gut and I grabbed his wrist with both of my hand. I pulled his arm to my left side, which pulled him closer to me, and I followed up by elbowing him in the nose, wrapping my right arm around his neck, and struck him in the chest three times with my knee until he let go of the knife. The Major finally broke out by hitting me in the groin and kneeing me in the head, causing me to fall to the ground. As I got back up, I saw some more Marines make an attempt to restrain the Major, but he picked up the knife again and swing it at them. I got up again and he came towards me one last time. _Time to end this! _The Major swung the knife like he was trying to cut my throat and I ducked to avoid it. As I ducked, I struck him in the groin, which made us even, and as he was bent over, I wrapped one arm around his neck, grabbed him by his pant waist and I suplexed him through a table.

I quickly got to my feet so I would be ready for him if he got up, but he didn't. The Major was knocked out and everyone who saw what happened could only look at me in awe as the Major laid there unconscious. Harkin made his way through the crowd, trying to get to me and see what all the commotion was about. I saw my mother right behind him and she had her hands placed over her mouth when she looked at me. I looked at the unconscious Major and my eyes caught sight of my reflection in a silver tray that was lying at my feet. Blood ran down my face from a cut that I received when the Major kneed me in the forehead and my eyes were full of rage. _I hoped my mother would never have to see me like this. _I noticed how heavily I was breathing and felt my hands shaking from the adrenaline rush, but then I noticed I was gripping the knife the Major pulled on me. I don't know how I got hold of it but the Major I knocked out didn't seem to be bleeding from anywhere other than his nose. I dropped the knife and walked off to the restroom where I tried patching myself up. Harkin busted into the restroom, full of anger.

"What the hell was that?" he bellowed.

"Self-defense against a superior officer," I said as I dabbed a wet paper towel over my wound.

"Did you star that fight?"

"No sir, he tried striking Kei and I stopped him, but then he struck me first," I said calmly.

"Why did he try hitting her?"

I told Harkin what happened as I continued cleaning myself up. Kei wouldn't have gotten into any trouble but I, on the other hand, could be in a world of crap if most of the witnesses say I started the fight. The worst I could get was demoted and put on suspension of a period of time. If I was put at fault, Harkin wouldn't be able to help me at all. I finished cleaning myself up and Harkin followed me out of the restroom after I told him everything that happened. When we entered the hallway, we saw the Major that I knocked out being hauled off on a stretcher with Becca's date holding his hand and calling him 'dad'. _I can't believe this. _Becca spotted me and I could see the anger in her eyes. She stormed up and slapped me as soon as she was close enough.

"What is your problem?" asked Becca.

"I don't have a problem, but your date's father seems to have one with me," I retorted.

"So you felt the need to slam him through a table?"

"If it kept me from dying then yeah, it was necessary," I said annoyed.

"How dare you," she yelled.

"How dare me?" I said in a low voice. "How dare you! You would've never come here if you hadn't thought that I'd be here and you act like all of this is my fault?"

"Don't flatter yourself; I came here to support my boyfriend."

"Really, because from what I could tell, he didn't seem all that interested in being here. Instead here you are asking me what my problem is when I should be asking you the same question!"

Becca tried slapping me again, but Kei grabbed her wrist as she brought it up. They exchanged jealous looks with each other until Kei finally said something.

"If you so much as lay a finger on him again, I'll make sure you end up in the next ambulance," said Kei as she stared down Becca.

"I ain't scared of you, bitch!" said Becca.

"Walk away if you know what's best for you. I could barely hold my own in fight against her," I told Becca.

"Oh really?" said Becca as she tried to keep her composure.

"Try me," threatened Kei as leaned closer towards Becca and she released her wrist.

I could see how nervous Becca was becoming and Kei just kept staring her down. I could see tears building up in Becca's eyes and she turned to walk away from us. _I don't know if it's my adrenaline or if Kei is just that awesome but she got me so hot for her right now._ Kei turned to look at me and saw how bruised my face was. She placed her hand on my cheek and I winced at the pain, but she still kept her hand there.

"I think it's best if you two head out for the night," said Harkin.

As much as I didn't want to leave, I had to agree with him on this. We headed back inside the Ballroom, grabbed our things, and I said my goodbyes to my mother. She still had the worried look in her eyes when I approached her.

"Be careful out there," she said as I hugged her.

"I will mom… I'll see you later," I said trying to hold back my tears.

Kei and I left the building and we drove back to our hotel. It was around 2230hrs when we got back to our room. I took off my jacket and placed it inside my bag. Kei took off her shoes and sat on the bed. She curled up her knees to her chest and rested her on them. I sat down on the edge of the bed as I unbuttoned my shirt and threw it on the floor. I rested my hands on my thighs and felt something in my pocket. _I forgot about this._ I reached into my pocket and pulled out the necklace I gave to Becca for her birthday. I had taken it off of her when she first hugged me and I don't think she would've noticed or thought that she would've cared after all that happened tonight. It was a silver necklace with a heart inside a bigger heart as the pendant. _As long as you have this, you have my heart with you._ I remember I told her that when I first put it on her.

"Where did you get that from?" asked Kei.

"I took it off of Becca when I first hugged her. I've been trying to get this thing back for the longest time and I almost gave up on it too," I said as I danged it in front of my face.

"That's kind of a messed up thing to do."

"Yeah, but to her I'm a messed up kind of guy," I said and I set it in one of the small pouches on my duffel bag. I rubbed my hands along my face and sigh as I thought about tonight and leaned back on the bed. "I had a good time tonight, but I wish it didn't have to end."

As I laid there on the bed, Kei scooted closer to me and placed her hand in my chest. She was still wearing her dress and I ran my fingers along the fabric. I was glad I was able to get a picture with her before we left. Kei sat up a little, leaned over me, and kissed me on the lips.

"The night still isn't over," said Kei.

She got up and dug out her MP3 player from her bag. She put on a slow song she had and I sat up in the bed. I smiled as she placed her MP3 player on the TV stand and I walked over to her. I wrapped one arm around her waist while I wrapped the other around her back and I pulled her close. She rested her head on my shoulder and wrapped her arms around my back so that her hands tenderly gripped my shoulders. We were the only two people in the world again as we swayed from side to side to one last song for the night.


	14. Demons of Razgriz

**Chapter 13 – Demons of Razgriz**

**June 25 1996 Curtis AFB**

"Anthony! Anthony, can you hear me?" shouted my dad.

I opened my eyes and I saw my dad and the Mustang pilot leaning over me as I lay on the ground. It felt strange to hear someone call me Anthony again. My vision was blurry at first but it cleared up the more I blinked. I sat up on the grass and my dad let out a sigh of relief when I came to.

"That's one tough kid you got there," said the pilot.

"Yeah, he's gets that from me," said my dad and they chuckled at that.

"So kid, you haven't answered my question yet," said the pilot as he looked at me. "Where did you learn to do that maneuver?"

I took me a second to remember what he was talking about. "I read it in an old war book. Thanks for letting me fly with you," I said saluting him.

The pilot saluted back and my dad and I walked off to where my younger sister, Amanda, was waiting with Lieutenant Colonel Harkin.

"How does it feel now that you got to fly a plane Kid?" asked Harkin.

"It was awesome! I know what I want to be like Cipher when I grow up," I said in excitement.

My dad and Harkin chuckled at what I said. They knew I liked airplanes and now they knew I wanted to be a pilot. We walked back towards the spectator stands where we met up with the rest of my family and Harkin's pregnant wife. We continued to watch the flight demonstrations of some of the planes they had on the base. One of my favorites was when the White Legion flight team did their performance in their F-15Cs. The four of them seemed to move as if they knew what each of the other members were thinking. _It would be amazing to fly like that one day._ After they were done, an A-10 flew overhead and at the same time, Harkin's wife went into labor and Harkin took her to the hospital.

In the middle of the A-10 demonstration, my little sister had to go to the bathroom and my dad told me to go with her and so we went. I waited outside the restroom and continued watching the flight demonstrations from a distance. _I wonder how those pilots feel every time they fly._ My sister came out of the restroom and when we started to head back towards the spectator stands, I looked off towards the horizon and I could see a spec growing in the distance. _I wonder what plane that guy is flying._ The plane flew closer and I didn't recognize it as a plane I saw before. It was red and black with forward swept wings that seemed to be placed towards the rear of the plane and front canards that were placed just a little behind the cockpit. Its vertical stabilizers were slanted towards each other and were placed on the outer edges of the plane's bulky engines. There was something on its back but it didn't look an extra engine or a fuel tank. The crowd noticed it too and we all continued to watch as it flew overhead at low altitude.

"What plane is that?"

"It must be new this year."

"What's it carrying under its wings?"

"It's turning back around."

It was turning back around and it lined up to come towards the planes parked on the side of the runway. I might have been eight years old, but even I knew that the pilot was lining up to attack. As the plane came closer, I grabbed my little sister by the wrist and pulled her towards the ground. I watched as the plane launched a missile at the F-16 performing its demonstration and saw the missile obliterate it in midair. I looked back at the strange plane and saw it shot a beam of light from the pod it was carrying on its back and destroy the planes parked on the runway. People started panicking and started running in every direction. I was scared and my first instinct was to find my parents. I got up off the ground, grabbed my little sister, and we started running towards the stands my parents were sitting at.

I watched as the pilot of the plane circle around and release a couple of bombs on the stands on the opposite side of the runway. I saw the bombs explode and envelope people in flames while others were knocked off of their feet from the shockwave. The pilot sped up and put some distance between him and the airfield. I thought it was over, but I was dead wrong. He turned back around and headed right for the crowd of people who were few hundred feet in front of me. The crowd of people saw the pilot heading towards them and they couldn't get out of the way in time. The pilot released another bomb and it impacted in the middle of the crowd. My sister and I were close enough to shockwave that it knocked us to the ground and became covered in falling clumps of dirt. I saw the carnage the explosion had caused… it was terrible. Some people were still alive and heavily injured, while others weren't even recognizable. I had tears in my eyes and I could hear my little sister screaming in terror. I picked her back up and we ran over to the bomb crater.

"Stay here! I'm going to look for mom and dad!" I said to my little sister but she couldn't hear me. I grabbed the sides of her head with my hands and forced her look at me. She was only five years and innocent of everything in the world. Neither one of us knew what to do, but we had to do something. I had to keep it together, for her sake. I looked my sister in the eyes and tried to comfort her, but I couldn't think of anything to say. "You'll be safe here. Just close your eyes and cover your ears and someone will find you."

"Please don't leave me, Anthony! Don't leave me alone," she begged as she started crying again.

I didn't want to leave her, but I felt like I didn't have a choice. If I had stayed with her, I wouldn't have been where I am today. I hugged her one last time and left her in the bomb crater. I continued running towards the spectator stand my parents were on as the bombs continued falling. I could see the people jumping over the side rails of the stands as they tried to save themselves. I could see my parents running down the steps with my brother and older sister in tow. I saw the attacking plane headed straight for the stands.

I felt time slow down as I saw the pilot release another bomb and watched it impact on top of the spectator stands as he flew over me. The bomb exploded between me and the rest of my family and I couldn't see them anymore. I collapsed to my knees and watched in horror as the explosion erased my half of my family from existence. I couldn't hold back the tears and my fear any longer. I could hear screams and to this day, I couldn't tell if they were mine or the others running around me.

I looked up into the sky and the pilot bank his plane to the left as he looked directly at me. He was close enough to the ground that I could see him through the canopy of his plane. I could clearly see his helmet and oxygen mask covering his face, but I noticed his eyes more clearly. They were green and I could tell he was smiling by the way he squinted as he looked at me. I felt like he targeted me out of everyone else who was running by me, trying to escape the carnage. I seared the image of the pilot's eyes into my mind so that I would never forget it. After the pilot flew by, he circled around again and headed straight for me. As I saw him closing in, nothing else in the world mattered to me except that I survive. I started running away as fast as I could as his bomb fell towards me. _I have to get away. I don't want to die!_ I felt the heat of the blast and a sharp pain in the left side of my back. I felt myself twist to the right and fall to the ground. I didn't know what happened and I felt the pain in my back increase as rolled onto my stomach and started crawling to where I had left my little sister. _I have to make it back to Amanda. I have to see if she's alright. I'm all she has left now._ I felt myself fading away and I couldn't move any more. I rested on my stomach as everything went black and continued to listen as people continued to run away. I couldn't feel anything anymore and I felt myself become tired. _If dying is this peaceful, then I have nothing to worry about._

**November 11, 2010 0642hrs Oured Osea**

I felt myself calmly wake up in the hotel bed next to Kei. As I sat up, I felt the pain I had felt when I got hit by the debris in my back. _It hurts; I can still feel the metal sticking out of my back. _I winched as Kei hugged me from behind and the longer she held me, the more the pain in my back seemed to fade away.

"You were talking in your sleep again," she whispered into my ear.

"Sorry," I said as I hung my head. I closed my eyes and I could see the pilot's eyes in the darkness. _Where the hell are you?_

"Don't be, you have don't have to apologize to me for anything, Antonio."

Held her hand against my chest for a second and I got up off the bed. I started to make my way to the bathroom and I almost slipped on Kei's dress that was lying on the floor. I turned the water on in the sink and I splashed some of it in my face so I could wake up and get that pilot's image out of my mind, temporarily. As I wiped the water out of my eyes, I looked into the mirror at myself. There wasn't much that seemed to change and I looked at the necklace hanging around my neck that my mom gave me when I was twelve. It was a gold chain with the St. Christopher amulet hanging off of it. _As long as you have this with you, you'll be protected._ I remember when my mother told me that when she gave it to me for Christmas that year. I smiled when I remembered the day Kei called me her blue dove and I found comfort knowing that my mom was right.

**1147hrs**

After we were done getting ready, we packed up all of our stuff, checked out at the front desk, and headed to my car. The first thing we did was go to breakfast and afterwards, I tried going to visit my little sister, who I haven't seen in two years. The gym she worked at told me that she hadn't worked there in almost four months and that she got a job offer and took it. They didn't know where she went and when I called my mom, she told me that Amanda was a physician working with the Osean military and that my mom hadn't heard from her in a couple of months. I felt a great deal of grief when I realized I wouldn't be able to see her while I was here. My sister was one of the only other people who I could talk to about anything and now, I didn't know where she was. _ I hope she's taking care of herself. _Kei and I left and headed towards the car dealership Rico was working at so I could drop off my car.

"You must've been close with your sister," said Kei.

"We were," I replied softly. "When I met up with her two years after the attack, she said that I was the reason she was alive and able to escape the same fate that I did."

"Didn't you say that they assumed both of your parents were dead?"

"They did, but when they found out my mother was alive, they had decided to tell my mother that I was dead and Amanda was able to get pulled out of the project by Lieutenant Colonel Harkin before anything happened to her," I said and I continued driving.

We reached Rico's work area and I pulled up alongside the table he was sitting at while he ate his lunch. He still had that goofy looking grin on his face when he saw me get out of the car. The place seemed dead of all business and the silence just added to the eeriness of the area, but I guess it was just nerves mostly.

"So you here to drop off Lara?" asked Rico.

"Not yet, we need you to take us to the CDAC base so we can head back to Sand Island. Then you can have Lara back," I said.

"You're leaving already?"

"We have to, otherwise the jetlag will get to us and screw up our internal clocks," I said.

Rico told his boss that he was going to drop us off real quick and then head back to work afterwards. We got in the car and I drove us back to the base. Along the way he kept asking us if anything interesting happened at the Ball. Kei told him about me playing the piano, my fight with the Major, and us running into Becca. Rico kept saying how he should've been there just so he could've recorded the fight and post it on the internet. _He would do something like that._

We got to the base and I said my goodbyes to Rico as we got our things out of the trunk. It was nice seeing some familiar faces while I was here, but I felt bad about not knowing if Kei knew anyone she wanted to visit in Oured. I asked her when we headed to the main airfield and she said she didn't know anyone here. I met up with Kei back on the flight line after I spoke with the base commander about us heading back to Sand Island and he gave us the all clear to take off.

"Sucks that we have to go back to work tomorrow," I said to Kei as we headed towards my F-15.

"You know, I don't think I'd call what we do, work, unless we have to go off on sortie," she replied.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Well think about it, all we do is lounge around while we wait for orders from the higher ups. The only down side to that is that there's nothing to do during that time."

I could see Kei's point. Only the officers on Sand Island had it easy, while everyone else had to actually do work. The ground crews had to maintain our planes, security had to patrol the base all day, the guys in the supply company had to take care of cargo that came and went, and the other personnel had to do whatever they signed up for. _I'm glad I'm not one of them. _The only thing we were responsible for were getting up and getting on deck on time. Even if it was my job to fly planes, I wasn't complaining. It was the best job in the world to me. We got in the cockpit of my plane and I fired up the engines after the ground crews towed my F-15 onto the flight line.

"Blaze, you are clear for takeoff," said the control tower.

I acknowledged and taxied onto the runway. _I'm coming home_. I applied full throttle and took off into the sky. The initial rush of flying again felt great and I was happy for it. As soon as I gained enough altitude, I headed west back towards Sand Island and flew at Mach 1.5. It wasn't that I was eager to get back to Sand Island; I just loved to go fast.

"You must really want to get back towards Sand Island," said Kei.

"Nope, I just got a need for speed," I said as I did a barrel roll.

"Was that really necessary?" asked Kei.

"Nah, I'm just trying to get a feel for my plane again before we have to go on another sortie."

I didn't know for sure how soon the brass would throw us back into the fight, but something told me it would be very soon. I wasn't sure what our next mission would be, but I figured they'd ask us to do the impossible. Wardog already had to defend the SSTO facility at Basset, support the ground forces during Operation Footprint alone, and stop a large scale invasion on Sand Island by ourselves with the exception of having nuggets with no combat experience. More than likely, we were going to have to do something just as difficult next time. In the meantime, I was going to enjoy the flight back to Sand Island with my girlfriend.

**1309hrs Sand Island AFB**

We had landed back at Sand Island just after Pops, who was also carrying Grimm, Chopper, and Captain Hamilton. Hamilton was probably on business over in the mainland and I guess he just hitched a ride with Pops. It felt strange being back on Sand Island because nothing really seemed right. It's like Sand Island was in its own world. It was warmer than everywhere else, nothing major really happened, and no one really complained about being here. I remember Genette referred to this place as a place of exile from the rest of the world. It seems he was right about that because this place looked almost exactly like Midway Atoll back on Earth, though I'm not sure anyone seriously realized it. As I got out of the cockpit of my plane Chopper ran up to me and Kei. _I don't think he's coming here to say that he missed me_.

"Hey Kid! Damn it's good to see you," said Chopper when he was within earshot.

_I guess I was wrong._ "Uh… thanks, it's good to see you too," I replied.

As he got closer, I could tell that he noticed the bruise on my left check from where the Major had punched me the night before. Then again, I noticed Chopper had a small cut above his left eyebrow. _I wonder if Grimm is in worse shape than he is._

"Hey listen I need to tell you something…" he started, but stopped when he saw Kei standing behind me. "In private," continued Chopper.

"What's wrong with you telling me?" asked Kei.

"I don't think you want to hear the grimy details about how I met this amazing woman over in Winchester, now do you Nagase?" said Chopper.

Kei's face twisted in disgust and she walked off. I didn't want to hear about Chopper's hook up either but here I was. As soon as Kei was gone, Chopper walked up next to me and threw his arm around my neck.

"So Kid, how was your special night with Nagase? I notice you got a little pep in your step or is that from a fight you got in over Nagase with some other guy?" asked Chopper.

He was good at making assumptions and convincing people to do things he needed, I'll give him that much, but I could tell he was easy to read also when I was able to look him in the eye. However, I always got distracted every time I looked at those stupid ass sideburns of his. Maybe that was the point of him having them.

"It was a fight over Kei and the other guy pulled a knife on me," I said as I pushed his arm off of me.

"Right and then she thanked you," said Chopper Grinning.

"No, she didn't. Anyways I'm sure you wanted to talk about what happened to you while we were all on leave," I said.

Chopper's face got a little serious when I mentioned it. Chopper looked around to make sure we were alone and then he turned his back towards me and took a few steps as he scratched his head. "Yeah, but not about my hook up," he said.

"I figured as much, what's up?"

"Well here's the thing, when Grimm and I got to the Aerodrome this morning so we could get a ride back with Pops, I saw him walking out of one of the hangers he was closing," said Chopper.

"Okay, so what?" I asked.

"I caught a glimpse of what he had in the hanger. It looked like the same plane that almost shot you down at Basset."

I looked at Chopper in surprised confusion at what he just said. _Did Chopper really see that guy's MiG-1.44? _I started to over think about what Chopper had said and I could tell that he knew that I was on a head hunt for that pilot. Worst of all, I started to think Pops was the guy I was looking for. I don't know if Chopper would tell the others, but their reaction to this news would be problematic to the cohesion of Wardog.

"Kid…"

"Davenport, we can't tell the others about this," I said.

"They have to know, Kid. If Pops is working for the enemy, then we have to report him," argued Chopper.

"Report who?" said a voice from the hanger door.

It was Pops. I hadn't seen him coming and I started to wonder how much he had heard. _I have to see if Chopper was right. _ I subtly unbuttoned the strap that held my KA-BAR inside the holster but I didn't pull it out. I had to make sure Pops was the guy I was looking for, before I decided to kill him.

"You Pops," said Chopper sternly.

"For what?" asked Pops as he looked at Chopper in shock.

"He's complaining that helmet and Face mask are messed up," I said as I nudged Chopper.

"What's wrong with it?" asked Pops as he walked towards us.

"I don't know, put it on and see if you can figure out what he's talking about," I said and I continued to look at Chopper to make sure he didn't give anything away.

Pops grabbed Chopper's helmet and sprayed it down with disinfectant before he put it on his head . Pops then strapped on the oxygen mask and got in the cockpit of my plane to test the oxygen system. _Now, I need to make Pops smile, but how? _I saw Kirk's Frisbee sitting on one of the work benches and though of an idea that might work, but I wasn't sure. I walked over to it and held the Frisbee in my hands.

"Why does this autographed Rolling Stones record have teeth marks in it," I asked and Chopper looked over towards me in shock. "Looks like Kirk found a replacement for that Frisbee I lost."

"What," exclaimed Chopper as he started walking towards me.

"Oh well, it looks like its worthless now," I said and I flung the Frisbee towards my plane.

"No!" shouted Chopper and he ran after the disc.

The black Frisbee flew towards the nose of my plane and Chopper kept his eye on it. He wasn't paying attention to where the thing was headed and when he jumped to catch it in mid-air, he ran into the nose of my plane. Chopper fell to the ground and landed on his side as he held onto the Frisbee for dear life. Pops was watching the whole time and witnessed Chopper crash to the ground. He wasn't smiling and I could tell that he was concern at first but then he kind of relaxed once he saw Chopper get back up. Pops unstrapped the oxygen mask from the helmet and leaned over the side of the cockpit.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"You're an asshole, Kid!" shouted Chopper when he realized that I threw a Frisbee.

"Yeah, I've been told that before," I said and I looked at Pops as he smiled while he put the oxygen mask back on.

I had my hand on my knife the whole time, waiting for the moment that I would finally be able to see if Pops was the guy I needed to kill. My mind was racing with how I would run my knife through him and how I would explain it to the jury at my next court martial, but then I took another look at Pops. _It wasn't him, his eyes are wrong._ I felt my grip loosen on my knife and my anxiety slip away. Pops might not have been the man I was looking for, but I didn't repeal my suspicion of him.

"I don't know what you're complaining about 1st Lieutenant, there seems to be nothing wrong with you helmet or oxygen mask. I'll replace the filters for you but that's all I can do for you," said Pops as he finished up.

"Alright then, thanks anyways," replied Chopper.

I walked out of the hanger into the locker room to hang up my flight gear and Chopper followed me inside.

"What the hell was that all about," said Chopper.

"A test to see if Pops was actually that guy I encountered over Basset," I said as I unbuckled my parachute harness.

"How exactly was that a test?"

"I remembered the pilot's eyes when he almost shot me down over Basset, but Pops didn't have those same eyes," I said.

"What, you have obsessional thinking of that guy because he almost shot you down?" asked Chopper. "If that's the case, then you got some serious pride issues, Kid."

"It's not a pride issue I'm having and yes, it's obsessional thinking," I said.

"So why obsess over that guy who almost shot you down over Basset?"

I didn't know what to tell him. Kei knew about the attack at Curtis and she was in the same boat I was. I still didn't know if she knew about the green eyed pilot and I didn't want to tell her about it because I guess I was selfish enough to where I wanted to kill him before anyone else could. I knew I had to come clean about another secret and I was beating myself up over it because I knew how much Chopper loved to talk. I had to tell him, not just to get him off my back, but because he needed to know. I wasn't sure how I was going to tell Grimm about it later.

"That same pilot killed half of my family when I was eight years old," I said as I sat down on one of the benches and buried my face in my hands.

"What do you mean?" asked Chopper as he sat next to me.

I told Chopper about the day Curtis came under attack and how I could tell Pops wasn't the green eyed pilot. I honestly felt like I was in therapy because Chopper didn't seem to say anything for once as I continued to tell him the story. I altered the part about me waking up in Project Pitbull's infirmary so that I didn't let it slip. Chopper was finally able to understand why I was the way I am, but it didn't seem to make him feel any better about me.

"How far are you willing to go to get this guy?" asked Chopper.

"I don't know," I said solemnly as I got up and headed out the door before Chopper could asked me more questions that I didn't know how to answer.

I was starting to notice a pattern occurring in my life, Chopper would always bring up things I didn't want to talk about and Kei would always use her charm to make me feel better whenever she saw that I was pissed off. I don't know if Chopper was doing it on purpose or if he just wanted to understand me better, either way I didn't like it when he bombarded me with questions. What he told me earlier about seeing that black MiG 1.44 made me question if that green-eyed pilot was closer to me than I suspected. _Did Pops know who was behind all of this?_ It bothered me but I couldn't let anyone know because if Pops was innocent, it would seem like we were trying to cover our asses. _Then again, the only time we did see that plane was at Basset and he did try to destroy the SSTO and shoot me down as he fled._ All I knew for sure was that Pops wasn't the man I was looking for.

I wandered aimlessly around the base when I left the locker room. It was only 1333hrs and the temperature was close to ninety degrees. _It was almost fifty-four degrees in Oured._ I remembered that I was still on leave and that I didn't have to check back in until 1800hrs, so I headed to the northern part of the base and wound up on the shore of the beach. The surrounding trees obscured the view of the control tower and other buildings which was just fine with me. There were some rocks that were that were peeking out of the surface of the water and formed a small lagoon. The cool breeze of the wind gently pushed tides of water along the shore and I closed my eyes to take in the sight, smell, and sounds of everything. I opened my eyes when realized the sun was still at its apex and was beating down on me. _I guess it's time to cool off a little. _I took off the top half of my flight suit and tied it around my waist. My boots, socks, and undershirt came off too. I placed my dog tags in my pocket and started walking into the water.

The tides might have been small but they sure were strong. I was about two hundred yards out when the tides weren't pushing against me and I leaned back and just floated in the water. I tried to get my mind off of everything that happened ever since we arrived back at Sand Island. Pops was now my suspect and I couldn't get that out of my head. _I should tell Harkin, but then he might pull Pops aside and if Pops is guilty, then it might tip off anyone who might be working with him. _I pulled out my phone and sent a message to Harkin to tell him about the jet that Chopper saw at the Winchester Aerodrome, but I didn't mention Pops. As soon as it was sent, I put my phone back in my pocket and continued floating on the water in peace. That was until I felt someone's hands pull me under the water.

I didn't know what was going on and I struggled to get loose of the person who had grabbed hold of me. I couldn't see anything under the water without the salt water impairing my vision. I pulled the person's arms off of me and I came up out of the water. I pulled out my KA-BAR and turned around to confront the person who pulled me under the water. I grabbed the person by the shoulder and brought my knife to their neck. It was Kei. _She scared the shit out of me. _She was wearing he flight suit like I was along with her black bra.

"It's okay, it's me," she hastily. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have done that."

"No… I'm sorry. I should learn to lighten up a little," I said as put my knife back into its holster. "What are you doing out here?"

"I saw you wandering around the barracks and I was wondering if you were alright so I followed you to see if you were okay."

"Just trying to get my mind off of some things, I guess," I said.

"Things like what?" asked Kei as she stood in the water next to me.

I leaned back and started floating on the water again. "Chopper's starting to put the pieces together. I already told him about what happened to the other half of my family. He just keeps probing for information and I don't like talking about it," I said.

"Should I try and talk to him?" asked Kei.

"I don't know if it'll do any good, but you could try. Beat him up if you want," I said sarcastically.

"Is that an order?" asked Kei.

"I'll leave that up to you to decide," I said.

"Uh, Captain Castillo?!" shouted someone from the shore.

I stood up in the water and looked behind me to see one of the men who handle the mail, shouting for me. _I wonder what he wants._ I made my way towards the shore and Kei followed me.

"You wanted to see me?" I asked.

"Yes sir, you just received a package in the mail and I need your signature saying that got it. It'll be waiting for you in the mail room," said the mail man.

"Okay thanks," I said. I noticed he was looking back and forth between me and Kei.

"Umm, am I interrupting anything sir?" he asked.

"I'm trying to help the Lieutenant find a necklace she lost while she was swimming," I said quickly. "You want to help us try and find it?"

"Uh, no thank you sir. I have to get back to work," he said and he left us alone.

"I didn't lose a necklace," whispered Kei.

"He doesn't know that. Why don't you hold onto this and show it to him the next time you go check your mail," I said as I placed Becca's necklace in her hand.

I kissed Kei on the check and went to grab my things. I got my things and hauled ass towards the mail room. If I didn't get what I was expecting, then I was going to be pissed. I got to the mail room and asked for my package. As it turns out, I had two of them waiting for me, a small one from Lieutenant Colonel Harkin and a larger box from my mother. I took both packages to my room and set them down as I took a seat on the couch. I opened my mother's package first and saw that she had sent me a bunch of junk food and supplies like chocolate bars, gummy worms, beef jerky, orange juice, soda, potato chips, shampoo, body wash, deodorant, and shaving cream. She also left me a note at the bottom of the box telling me not to eat all of this at once and that she misses me. _That smart ass, I love you too mom._ I set mom's care package aside and opened Harkin's package. It turned out to be my watch and it didn't look any different. _What did Harkin do to it? _As I put my watch on my wrist, I noticed a piece of paper inside the box with Harkin's hand writing on it. I took it out of the box and read it. _When you need to be found, press the start and spilt button simultaneously._ I didn't know what he meant by that and I continued reading the note. _There's no way they did all of this to my watch._

**November 14, 2010 0612hrs Sand Island AFB**

I was really getting pissed off at the brass for assigning us these early morning briefings. I wasn't able to do my morning routine and if this kept up, I would forget about it completely and skip it all together. As we sat in the briefing room, the staff from HQ was trying to get everything situated for this mission briefing. All essential officers were running back and forth in the hallways while we waited for the briefing to start. Initially, we were supposed to begin at 0600hrs but I wasn't bothered by the delay at all. I wasn't sure about everyone else because we just sat there quietly. I was leaning back in my chair with my eye closed and everyone else was drowning in their own thoughts.

"Hey, what're you writing there?" asked Grimm.

"I just can't remember this next phrase," said Kei softly.

"Here let me," said Chopper reaching over to her.

"Hey," said Kei as she yanked her book away from Chopper's hand. Chopper pulled his hand back and Kei read a sentence from her book to him. "The princess couldn't feed the dove that day, she was too sick."

"May I take a look," asked Grimm.

"Razgriz," said Chopper suddenly. "The demon of Razgriz got her right?"

"You know the story?" asked Kei.

"The demon from the North Sea, I remember, my grandmother used to tell me bedtime stories about it. And every time she did, I'd be too scared to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night."

Kei shook her head in disbelief and I chuckled as I listened to them talk about the Razgriz demon. I've only heard about it once when I read A Blue Dove for the Princess. Other than that, I knew it was a very popular legend with the sailors who first arrived on Strangereal and the legends of it just continued to grow as time went on. The legend was that when history witnessed a great change, Razgriz revealed itself, first as a dark demon. As a demon, it uses its power to rain death upon the land and then it dies. However, after a period of slumber, Razgriz returns.

"Settle down people," said a Lieutenant Colonel whom I've never seen before.

It turns out that his name was Lieutenant Colonel Mitchell and he was an advisor to HQ. He was sent to Sand Island to give us a very important mission that was vital to the allied advance into Yuktobania. We had to destroy a Scinfaxi class submarine, the Hrimfaxi, located in the Razgriz Striates. _Does anyone hear that phone ringing, because I fucking called it!_ Apparently, our allies managed to track a sub that was supposed to resupply the Hrimfaxi and a bunch of math wizzes figured out when the rendezvous was going to occur. Our objective was to sink the Hrimfaxi while it was being resupplied so it couldn't disrupt the Osean army's offensive it planned to launch today.

"Now keep in mind, there won't be any support from Arkbird this time around. This mission rests solely on your shoulders. The entire ground offensive is relying on this first surprise attack, so don't disappoint us. I want you to turn the icy Razgriz Straits into the enemy's graveyard," said Lieutenant Colonel Mitchell.

We all felt the pressure this mission was going to put on us and already I was stressed out. Colonel Perrault gave me a dirty look as we got up and headed out of the room. I figured he was still mad at me for sinking the Scinfaxi but this time, I was under orders to sink the Hrimfaxi. On the way towards the hangers, Michelle was going on about how we always got sent on these near suicidal missions. _I swear her and Chopper sound like they were made for each other._

"I heard about what that submarine was capable of and that doesn't make me feel any better about going on this mission," she said.

"None of us feel good about this mission, Rockford. At least I hope so," said Kyle.

"Sinking the Scinfaxi was hard enough with the Arkbird helping us but this time it's probably going to be damn near impossible," said Chopper. "I bet the real reason Kid sunk the Scinfaxi against orders was because it pissed him off that much, right?"

I didn't say anything, nor did I even look back at him. I was already mad about this whole situation we were thrown into. There were a bunch of other attack squadrons that could've been called on to execute this mission but I bet they picked us because we had already sunk the Scinfaxi.

"Come on Kid, I was just kidding," said Chopper.

"Chopper, leave him alone," said Kei.

When we got to the hanger, everyone started to head towards their F-15s and I told them that we were going to fly F-18s for this mission. They could carry more anti-ship missiles than the F-15 and knowing how hard it was to sink the Scinfaxi, we were going to need as many as we could carry. The only downside to flying the F-18 was that it didn't have as good of a combat range as the F-15. I was going to fly an F/A-18E while the rest of my team flew the F/A-18F because I didn't want to hear Michelle beg for her life on this mission. She didn't object to it and went back to the barracks so she could go back to sleep. I ordered the ground crews fit each plane with two sidewinders, six harpoon anti-ship missiles, two 2000lb bombs, PGU-28A/B multipurpose high explosive incendiary ammo for our gun, and an external fuel tank. The load out was stretching the Super Hornet's weight capacity near its limit, but we needed it. We weren't allowed to take off until 1200hrs due to the synchronization of the supply sub's rendezvous with the Hrimfaxi and our attack. Even though we were carrying an external fuel tank, I ordered us to use the fuel in our internal fuel tanks and save our external fuel tank until after we refueled in the air. This would allow us to attack the Hrimfaxi without us having to worry about running low on fuel.

We were halfway to our AO when a KC-10 rendezvoused with us to top off our tanks. I didn't know about the others, but I thought mid-air refueling was one of the most fun things a pilot could do, next to carrier takeoffs. Chopper took the longest to refuel because he had a hard time getting the tanker's hose into his fuel valve. I could've made so many jokes about it but I still wasn't in the mood to joke around. I maneuvered into position behind the tanker and I was glad Michelle wasn't here to complain about my flying. I swear it's like no matter what I did, she'll always criticize my flying. Then again, I wasn't trying to please her either.

**1559hrs Razgriz Straits **

We were flying over the ice caps of the Razgriz Straits and it just seemed like a frozen wasteland. This place seemed creepy as we flew to lower altitude for our surprise attack. I guess it was because my mom's superstitious beliefs rubbed off on me. I was half expecting to see the Demon of Razgriz appear out of the water and kill us all and I could tell the others thought the same thing.

"Wardog, stay at low altitude and fly towards the submarine fleet. You're restricted from flying above one thousand feet. We can't risk having our surprise attack detected," said Thunderhead.

"I'm getting chills. This northern sea is where the Demon of Razgriz came from," said Chopper.

"Razgriz…" mutter Kei.

"There's no way that could've been the Razgriz."

"It's just a legend, there's nothing supernatural here to be worried about," I said trying to calm everyone down.

"Hold your chatter, commencing comm out procedure shortly. Maintain radio silence," said Thunderhead.

"Guess I'll cut off the mic and try talking to myself," said Chopper.

_Best news I've heard all day. _I heard my radio go silent and I maintained my speed and current heading. I jettisoned my near empty external fuel tank and saw the others do the same as I looked back at them. They were following me closely as we came upon the picket submarines. _Wait, these subs are on the surface, which means they must have someone on watch. _These subs also had unique sonar capabilities that could track enemies above and below water, aircraft included. I opened the throttle and headed for the closest picket sub. I lined it up in my sights and dropped on of my 2000lb bombs right on top of it.

"Target destroyed!" shouted Thunderhead over the radio.

"Awesome, we totally surprised them. We can talk now right?" asked Chopper.

"That's not the Hrimfaxi. Didn't you look at the ship identification chart?" asked Grimm.

"I know that wasn't the Hrimfaxi. These guys would've seen us coming even if we tried sneaking by," I said.

"This is Lieutenant Colonel Mitchell, the advisor to HQ, that picket submarine just sent of an enemy detection notice. The Hrimfaxi is going to dive in one minute, attack immediately!"

We all gave our planes full throttle and sped towards the Hrimfaxi. Thunderhead counted down the remaining time we had left before the Hrimfaxi slipped beneath the waves out of our reach. _I'm not going to let that happen. _I had a visual on our target and I launched two harpoon missiles at it. I saw them fly towards the Hrimfaxi at full speed and they buried themselves inside its starboard hull. I looked back and saw Chopper send another missile into the supply sub.

"Damage status on enemy sub, unknown!" said Kei.

"Those bastards are diving!" shouted Chopper.

"Wardog, break off and attack those picket subs before they flee. If we can't sink the Hrimfaxi, the least we can do is put the hurt on the Yuke Navy. Use bombs and guns only, save your missiles for our primary target," I ordered.

I opened the wide band radio channel and started listening in on the Hrimfaxi transmissions. The Osean army had begun its attack and the Yukes weren't prepared for the offensive. They were requesting long range missile support from the Hrimfaxi. It turns out that I damaged it enough so that the Yukes couldn't launch its missiles from underwater. _They have to choose between staving off the Osean Army and exposing themselves to our attacks, or protect themselves and let our army advance further into Yuktobania. _The rest of my team regrouped back on me after they sank a total of five enemy picket submarines.

"The Hrimfaxi's antenna has appeared above water. It's surfacing," said Kei.

I looked into the water where the Hrimfaxi disappeared into and saw it break the surface. It shot out of the water and came down with a huge splash when the bow hit the water. I could see the air defense weapons appear out of the top of the sub as the Hrimfaxi launched its missile and carrier jets. _They upgraded to UCAVs?_

"Grimm, Chopper, concentrate your fire on the Hrimfaxi while Edge and I take care of these fighters," I ordered.

Chopper and Grimm started firing on the Hrimfaxi as Kei followed me as I latched onto one of the UCAVs. _These little shits are fast._ The UCAVs were able to accelerate and maneuver faster than we could, but they were only programmed to shoot us down and nothing more. _Maybe they can't think for themselves. _Kei broke off to engage another UCAV that was engaging me. I put my F-18 into a split S and broke right when I reached the end of the maneuver to evade a missile.

"Any day now, Edge," I said.

I pulled into a climbing right turn. I rolled to the right at the top of my climb and reversed my direction. I looked over to my lower left and saw Kei climbing up to meet me, thirty degrees behind my left wing. _Here we go._ I broke hard left and gave Kei a clear shot at the UCAV that was chasing me. I looked back and saw Kei send a stream of bullets into the UCAV and watched it fall into the glaciers below.

"This is Lieutenant Colonel Mitchell, the advisor to HQ; I'm getting your info in real-time from our tracker satellites. Time your attacks to hit the Hrimfaxi when it surfaces. Sink it before it does any more damage to our ground forces with its missiles."

I looked ahead and saw the Hrimfaxi appear on my HUD. The lock on tone from my harpoon missile buzzed in my headset and I sent a missile towards the sub. All of a sudden, my missile warning alarm went off and I saw a missile headed for me from my seven o' clock high. I broke left and saw a UCAV open fire on me with its gun. I barrel rolled over it and got behind the drone. When I acquired a lock on it, I fired a sidewinder at it but it missed. The UCAV broke hard right and sped away from me but Kei was able to intercept it and shoot it down with another burst from her gun. I looked behind her and saw the final UCAV chasing after her. I ordered Kei to break left and I rolled above and behind the UCAV and reduced it to a pile of flaming scrap as I fired my gun into it when I dove on top of it.

"Captain, this is Birdy, the Hrimfaxi dove back under water," said Erica.

"Roger, listen up people. I want this area locked down. Smokey, Wildcat, Birdy, I want you to lock onto that thing the moment it surfaces so we can send that son of a bitch to the bottom of the sea, understand?" I said.

They all acknowledged and we formed a wide Lufbery circle above the large body of water that the Hrimfaxi had dived into.

"Come on, surface! I'm sick of waiting for you!" shouted Chopper.

_Here it comes._ The Hrimfaxi broke the surface again and we all headed in to attack. I launched two of my remaining Harpoon missiles as soon as I locked onto it. I saw the others launch their harpoon missiles and all of our missiles raced towards the Hrimfaxi. Before the missiles could even touch it, the Hrimfaxi launched another burst missile and more UCAVs.

"Chopper, Grimm, engage those hostile aircraft. Edge, you're with me."

Kei followed me as I climbed to twelve thousand feet and I put my F-18 into a ninety degree dive onto the Hrimfaxi. The AA defenses were still going strong and as we pulled out of the dive after I dropped my last bomb right on top of the missile launch port, my right wing was hit by a few 23mm anti-aircraft shells. I felt my Super Hornet buck to the left but I maintained control of it as we sped away out of the AA gun's reach.

"Hrimfaxi, the enemy has abandoned their attack, well done," said the Yuke submarine commander.

"What are you doing?" shouted Lieutenant Colonel Mitchell. "Attack you idiots; are you just going to let them destroy our ground forces?"

"This thing is just shrugging off our attacks. If you got some way to lend us some support, then by all means, send it our way, sir!" I said.

"Jeez, I thought this guy would be nicer than our base commander back home," said Chopper.

"All top brass are the same," said Grimm.

I looked back at the Hrimfaxi and saw that it was about to dive again. It had already stopped the allied attack which meant it didn't have to stay surfaced any longer. _We failed to sink this thing._ I saw the Hrimfaxi start its dive back under water, but then it stopped. It turns out we did enough damage to it that it lost diving ability.

"The Hrimfaxi stopped its dive, we've damaged it!" exclaimed Grimm.

"Alright ladies, gentlemen, and Chopper, if you have any spare ordinance us it to…"

"Hrimfaxi, launching burst missile," interrupted Thunderhead. "Wardog, its headed your way! Climb, zoom to above five thousand feet!"

"What's going on? Why do we have to get above five thousand feet?" asked Justin.

We all applied full throttle and clawed for altitude. Thunderhead started counting down the time until the missile detonated and as I looked ahead as I climbed, I saw the missile headed right for me. I snapped the stick over to the right and rolled away from the missile. The missile was close enough to me that it knocked the last sidewinder off of my right wingtip. _That was too close!_ I looked back and saw the missile break apart and explode into a numerous balls of blinding light.

"What the hell was that?" shouted Erica.

"The thing that killed hundreds of Osean soldiers and sailors," I said as I nosed over into a dive. "Weapons check, now!"

"This is Smokey, one Harpoon missile and two sidewinders."

"This is Archer; I only have one bomb left."

"This is Wildcat, one Harpoon missile left."

I really started wishing we had support from the Arkbird right about now. We were running low on ordinance and this thing was still floating. I lined up for a shot on the Hrimfaxi but then I had to break it off because a UCAV had latched onto me. I broke to the left and watched as Chopper filled the UCAV with lead but I wasn't paying attention to where I had broken off my attack. I was directly over the Hrimfaxi and taking heavy AA fire. I tried weaving through the hail of bullets and missiles, but I was getting pelted with lead. A couple shells found their marks in my vertical stabilizers, left wing, and right engine.

"Captain, you okay?" asked Kyle.

"I took some hits but I'm alright," I said.

"Hrimfaxi, launching burst missile," said Thunderhead.

"Lead those drones to higher altitude and take them out. We can't risk those things causing any more problems for us," I said.

We all climbed above five thousand feet again. I ordered Grimm to drop his final bomb on top of the Hrimfaxi's missile launch tube from high altitude and he scored a direct hit on it while we fended off the UCAVs. We waited for the burst missile to detonate before we started to attack again. Once it went off we all dove back down to the deck and attacked again. _Even after all the damage we've done to it, it's still floating._

I lined up for an attack run again with Kei on my left wing and Chopper on my right. Grimm stayed above us to fend off any attacking drones while we attacked the Hrimfaxi. I had a missile lock and I pressed the missile launch button on my control stick. I watched as all three of our missiles headed for the Hrimfaxi and detonated just behind the missile launch tube.

"We're still not doing enough damage to this thing," said Chopper.

We were all growing more frustrated and tired of this floating abomination. We only had our guns left and they couldn't do much of anything. I flew out a little bit and gazed at the Hrimfaxi when I saw something move in one of the holes our missiles had created. I pulled out my binoculars and looked at what was moving. _The missile storage compartment is exposed!_ My first thought was to make a strafing run towards it and light it up with my gun, but then I remembered the AA guns were still operational. I didn't want to expose my team to the danger but I couldn't see any other way around this.

"Wardog, the missile storage area is exposed. If we land a bunch of well-placed shots, we could use its own weapons against it," I said.

"Are you nuts? There's no way we'll be able to make it through all that AA fire," said Chopper.

"I don't see any other way Chopper. We've faced impossible odds before and we're still alive. We can do this! Chopper, Edge, I need you to draw the AA fire away while me and Grimm go in for an attack."

I could sense the hesitation in their voices as they headed off to distract the AA guns. Grimm and I followed them in and I could see their planes taking some hits. _I'm sorry you guys. _As I closed in on the Hrimfaxi, my gun sight appeared and I quickly lined it up with the exposed missiles. I sent a long stream of 20mm high explosive incendiary rounds into the missile and pulled up out of the way to avoid the AA fire. I looked back at Grimm and saw him going in for his attack run. As he opened fire, I could hear him screaming in rage as he pressed his attack. Time seemed to slow down as he flew towards the Hrimfaxi. I saw the AA defenses turn towards Grimm and open fire. _He's going to take too much fire for him to avoid. _I pulled back on the stick and looped back over and got into position above and in front of Grimm. The AA guns turned their attention to me and I started taking even more hits.

My canopy shattered and the visor on my helmet cracked as a piece of shrapnel struck it. One bullet even managed to clip my dog tags from my neck. I couldn't hear anything except for bullets hitting my plane and I closed my eyes. The next thing I heard was an extremely loud explosion that I thought came from my plane. I opened my eyes slowly to see most of my instruments completely destroyed and my canopy full of holes. I could hear Kei screaming my name in terror and my first though at the moment was to bail out, but then I looked over my F-18. My right engine was smoking lightly and my wings and stabilizers were still intact, but my controls were really sluggish. I looked over myself and was amazed that I hadn't suffered any serious injuries. I had a couple scratches on my legs and arms but I was okay.

"Blaze, are you alright?" asked Kei.

"That's the second time I've almost died today," I said taking a breath of relief.

"We did it! Grimm finally did it!" shouted Erica.

"Target confirmed destroyed, way to go Hans," said Justin.

I looked back to see the Hrimfaxi slowly sinking below the waves of the Razgriz Straits. _Rest in peace you son of a bitch._ Everyone continued to congratulate Grimm as we formed up to RTB. I switched back over to the wide band radio channel so I could listen to the Yuke transmissions coming from the Hrimfaxi.

"Hrimfaxi, it appears you're up against Razgriz itself out there."

"Looks like they were the real Razgriz, not us…. Maybe someone's trying to tell us that our time is up."

_Or maybe someone decided it was time you played fair._ I honestly felt a little sympathy for those sailors who died today but at the same time, I was glad. With the Hrimfaxi out of the way, the Osean army could continue its advance into Yuktobania with less difficulty. I know it would take some time before the war came to an end and I knew there would be a lot more bloodshed in the near future, but if we were essential in bringing the war to a quick end, then I was all for it.

"Blaze, your plane looks like it's in pretty rough shape. Do you think you'll be able to make it back to Sand Island?" asked Kei.

"I hope so; does it look like I'm leaking any fluids?" I asked.

Kei maneuvered under my plane and inspected it from front to back. "No it doesn't look like it. You're trailing some smoke out of your right engine though."

"My instruments were destroyed and I can't tell how bad the damage is, Thunderhead do you read?"

"This is AWACS Thunderhead, go ahead Blaze."

"We've confirmed the Hrimfaxi is destroyed but we've taken some serious damage. We're going to try for Sand Island but in the event we can't make it, I'd like to know where the nearest Allied carrier is," I said.

It turns out that the closest fleet was six hundred miles south of our location and that they were being engaged by a Yuktobanian fleet. _Well, so much for that, time for plan B. _I could've tried for one of the other nearby bases but the last thing I wanted was for my team to come under more criticism from our allies. We rendezvoused with another tanker and refueled for rest of the way home and I had to attempt to refuel without the help of my equipment, but I managed to get it on the first try. Now all we have to do is make it back home.

**2213hrs Sand Island AFB**

_Well this is just great. I was hoping I wouldn't have to go through this again._ As I came in for a landing, ground control noticed that I was missing one of my wheels and I couldn't raise them up after I had put them down. How they were able to see anything in the dark was beyond me. I was also flying on one engine and it was losing thrust. Kei was telling me not repeat what I did at McNealy but I wasn't even thinking of trying it. I gave my plane all the power it had and circled back around towards the south side of Sand Island at fifteen hundred feet. I lined the F-18 up to land in the water north of the base. _Here we go!_ I pulled the ejection lever on my seat and felt the remnants of my canopy fly off. My harness straps tighten around me and then I felt myself fly out of the cockpit of my plane. I kept my eyes focused on the ground and when I was low enough, I deployed my parachute. I honestly thought the Osean Air Force would've given us standard round parachutes but instead, they issued us the ones that we could control. I guided myself towards the flight line and landed in front of the hangers. It was a soft landing and I walked away casually as I detached my parachute and headed towards the locker rooms. _That was more fun than a static line jump._ Everyone else had already landed and watched as I bailed out of my plane. The paramedics were already rushing towards me but I waved them away from me before they could even touch me.

"I'm good, now if you don't mind, I'd like to go to bed ASAP," I said and I headed to the debriefing room.

While we were giving our debriefing, I had to explain to Colonel Perrault why I had to bail out of a seventy million dollar plane instead of trying to land it. I told him that I saved damage control and the ground crews a lot of work when I dropped my plane into the water.

"I also saved you the trouble of sending a letter home to my mother explaining how I died," I said.

"I see your point Captain," said Colonel Perrault. "All joking aside, good work out there."

"Thank you sir," I said and Perrault left the room.

_He just gave me a compliment, what was that about?_ We finished up our debriefing and Captain Hamilton dismissed us for the night. I noticed that Captain Hamilton never smiled about anything. I thought he'd be glad when we told him that we sank the Hrimfaxi or about any of the other things we've managed to accomplish during the war. I guess he had the same mentality I did when I was in flight training; nothing ever got done with us walking around grinning like idiots. _Oh well, I'm too tired to think anymore_. And with that, I decided to go to bed for the night.


	15. Ice Cage

**Chapter 14 – Ice Cage**

**November 15, 2010 1221hrs**

Today started out as a normal day and nothing really seemed like anything interesting was going to happen. I got the Ball pictures in the mail today and I slipped of them into Kei's book while she was writing in it. I left a little note on the back of the picture and I saw her smiling at it as I walked out of the crew room. I kept wandering around Sand Island trying to find something to do to pass the time. Playing with Kirk didn't keep me occupied for long and I knew Kirk wasn't entertained either when he ran off. _Great, I wish this island had something fun to do like a hiking trail or… I think I just found something to do._ I ran towards the docks and found three of the security guards. They were gathered around a bunch of offloaded cargo, talking, and drinking a soda. They snapped to attention when they saw me.

"At ease fellas, I was wondering if you could do me a favor," I asked.

"Sure Captain, what do you need?" asked one of them.

"I was wondering if you had any available zodiacs I could use to get over to that island over there," I said as I pointed to one of the islands towards the north east of the airfield. The island was pretty much a mountain that was just less than fifteen hundred feet above sea level. Along the coast were some buildings the other defense forces stayed at. They were responsible for patrolling the outer islands because it was a key strategic position for defending the Atoll.

"Is there a specific reason you want to go over there sir?" asked one of the guards.

"No not really. I'm just bored over here," I said.

They all turned to each other and started whispering among themselves. I had no idea what they were talking about but the way they kept glancing over at me suggested that they were either making fun of me or they knew something I didn't. After about a minute, they all turned towards me like they were going to attack.

"Captain, how do you feel about gun control?" asked one of the guards.

I smiled at that question and they said that today they had to take their weapon evaluations. We headed over to the armory and they got their rifles while I was only allowed check out my M9. Even though it wasn't as accurate as the Osean 9mm pistols that were issued, I felt like my M9 was more reliable because I made some modifications to it that weren't exactly legal. Anyways, as we were leaving the armory, I ran into Kyle, Erica, and Grimm.

"What are you doing, Sir?" asked Erica.

"I'm about to take my weapon evaluation. Wanna join?" I offered.

"Sure, we got nothing better to do today," she replied.

The three of them got their handguns and a couple boxes of ammo from the armory and followed me and the three guards to the small strip of land on the south side of Sand Island that served as the firing range. I found it tedious that the armory guys had to also give us our holsters. Originally I was given a shoulder harness but I felt that it slowed down my quick draw, so I modified it into a hip holster. I would more than likely lose my sidearm if I ejected but I already had that base cover. We got to the firing range and we met the range supervisor. He was an elderly looking Senior Master Sergeant who seemed like he didn't take crap from no one. Rank didn't seem to matter to him and the scowl on his face suggested that he hated everything that had to do with life. We lined up on the firing line and he gave us the rundown on how things worked on 'his' firing range.

"My name is Senior Master Sergeant Blick and I'm the firing range supervisor. You are to follow any and all of my rules so I can keep your sorry asses from accidentally killing yourself or any other scumbag here. Keep those barrels pointed down range, follow my instructions, and we'll get along for now," said Blick.

We walked over to the table, loaded our magazines, and returned to the firing line. There's something about holding my M9 that made me feel good. I know it didn't have as much kick as a multi-million dollar fighter jet, but it made me feel just as good.

"Shooters take your mark," shouted Blick.

"Try not to miss Captain," said Kyle.

"I won't," I said with a grin.

"Open fire," shouted Blick.

I brought up my pistol and fired down range at my target. The kick of it in my hand felt great and I could see my shots hitting my target directly in the center. All fifteen of my bullets went right where I wanted them too. Kyle, Erica, and Grimm were pretty happy with their scores too but if this had been a competition, I would've won. The three guards that came with us were impressed by my accuracy. _This was easy._

"Cease fire, cease fire!" shouted Blick. "Put 'em on safe and holster!"

"Damn Captain, I didn't think you knew how to handle a gun," said one of the guards.

"I know how to handle most of them," I said.

"Really, how good are you with a rifle?"

"I can manage, but I don't think Blick would allow it. Do you mind Master Sergeant?" I asked.

"I don't give a damn, just keep that barrel pointed down range," he said.

I grabbed one of the M16s and loaded the mag into it. _It's been a long time since I held one of these_. I stepped onto the firing line, chambered a round into the rifle, and brought it up to my shoulder.

"Are you a gambling man Captain?" said one of the guards.

"Only when I know I'll win," I said as I lowered the rifle to look at him.

"Are you feeling lucky?"

"Nope, but are you asking to make a bet with me?"

"I got a couple of twenty's here that say I can kick your ass in accuracy," said the guard as he pulled out his money from his back pocket.

"I got nothing to bet with," I said.

"Well how about your alcohol ration? I hear you never use it anyways."

I agreed to it and we got ready for our little competition. When Blick cut us loose, I waited until the guard fired off his first five rounds. He was quick to the trigger and I could see that his bullets were hitting the area between the eight and bull's-eye of the paper target. _This is too easy._ The target was five hundred yards down range and the sea breeze was also affecting the flight path of the bullets. I brought the M16 to my shoulder and adjusted the sights. I squeezed the trigger and saw my bullet impact the center of my target. I quickly squeezed of a few more rounds and saw them land within millimeters of my first bullet. _Sweet, I guess I'll be a few dollars wealthier when this is over._ I continued firing the rifle until it was empty. I cleared the chamber and set the M16 down on the table. Blick went down range to retrieve our targets.

"I think you did pretty good sir," said Erica.

"Are you serious? Reynolds got a better score than he did, lieutenant," said one of the three guards.

"I don't really care if I won or not, I just want to know how I did," I said.

Blick retuned with our targets and declared me a winner. Reynolds was about to hand me his money but I gave it right back. There was nothing on Sand Island I could've used it on anyways. The seven of us spent the next few hours having a good time at the firing range. I even managed to get Blick to lighten up and have a go with an M16. Erica was a crack shot and I found out that Kyle can't shoot worth a damn. Grimm on the other hand was just as accurate as Erica. This was the most fun I've ever had since my arrival at Sand Island but eventually, we ran out of ammo.

We turned in our weapons and the three guards we went to the range with, went back to their post. Kyle, Grimm, Eric, and I found a spot on the beach where we all just sat and talked about random things. Kyle let it slip that he had a crush on my RIO and I couldn't help but laugh at that. They knew I didn't like how she always complained about how dangerous my flying was. Yeah she was cute, but I already had my heart set on Kei. Erica was beautiful as well; her brunette hair accented her blue eyes. I couldn't help but think that she used to be a cheerleader in high school. I pictured Kyle as a baseball player because he reminded me of a redneck. I might have been wrong about it but that was my impression of him. We continued talking until Justin ran up to us around 1900hrs and said that Wardog was needed in the mess hall.

"Why, what's going on?" asked Kyle.

"I don't know. Pops just said that Wardog needed to report to the mess hall," said Justin.

We all looked at each other hoping that one of us would know what was going on. We got up off the ground and started heading towards the mess hall. I couldn't think of a good enough reason as to why we were needed in the mess hall. _Maybe someone decided we need to eat dinner before we go off on some important mission tomorrow morning. _

"Maybe they're throwing us a party as a celebration for our successful mission yesterday," said Grimm.

"You are a real optimist, Grimm," I said with a smile.

"There's nothing wrong with trying to find a bright side," said Erica.

"I never said that was a bad thing, I'm just saying that Grimm is an optimist. I wish I was like that," I replied.

"It's easy to find a bright side to anything, Sir," said Grimm.

"I'll have to try it sometime," I said.

We continued to make our way to the mess hall and we noticed the corridors we practically empty. We managed to run into the rest of Wardog outside the mess hall doors and they had no idea what was going on either. There was a Master Sergeant who was guarding the door and he wouldn't let us in until we were all here.

"Grimm thinks they're throwing us a party," I said to Kei.

"Seems a bit optimistic to think something like that," she replied.

_Tell me about it. _ The Master Sergeant then opened the doors to them mess hall and we followed him in. The lights were completely turned off and I could feel that we weren't alone in there. I lost track of the Master Sergeant and I stopped dead in my tracks. _It's probably my paranoia, but I don't like this. _The lights suddenly came on and almost every ground crew member was gathered around us. My team and I were all standing back to back in a small circle waiting for the ground crews to do something. _I bet they're pissed about all the work they had to do patching up our planes. _I was half expecting them to throw something at us, but then they started applauding. We all looked at each other in confusion until Pops came out and decided to clear up the meaning behind all of this.

"Congratulations on destroying the Hrimfaxi, Wardog," said Pops with a smile. "The Osean army wanted to extend their thanks to you so we decided to throw you a party."

"I thought they abandoned their attack," said Michelle.

"They did, but today they recommenced their operation and they were able to complete their objective," said Pops. "So, how 'bout we get this party started?"

Someone started blasting music and the kitchen staff set up a buffet line of decent looking food and drinks. They even pulled out bottles of beer and other various liquors. _People are going to get stupid tonight._ Everyone was eating, drinking, and having a good time. We all talked with the ground crews about how we sank the Hrimfaxi. I went as far to apologize to the ground crews for crashing my plane. They told me not to worry about it but I still felt like I had to.

"Hey Kid, why don't you tell everyone how you saved Grimm's ass when you ran interference during his attack run," said Chopper.

Chopper was talking with Grimm, Erica, and a couple of the other people in attendance. Chopper was trying to explain what had happened from his exaggerated point of view. He thought that I tried getting clear of the AA defenses and that I got lite up because I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I drank the rest of my soda before I started talking.

"We ran out of ordinance when we were attacking the Hrimfaxi and we only had our guns left. The sub had a hole in its missile silo and I ordered Chopper and Nagase to draw the AA fire away from me and Grimm while we strafed the Hrimfaxi's missiles. I headed in first and landed a bunch of hit on one of them and then Grimm starts to make his run. Now this guy…" I said putting my arm around Grimm's shoulder. "He starts screaming as he opened fire. I looked back and saw that he was about to get torn to shreds by the Hrimfaxi's AA guns and I decided to run interference to save him and his RIO."

"Is that why your plane was shot to shit?" asked one of the ground crew.

"Yeah, and before Grimm got within range of the AA guns, I pulled into hard loop and positioned myself at his eleven o' clock high so that the AA guns would focus on me instead of him."

"That's a pretty ballsy move Captain," said one of the ground crew.

"Yeah, but I'd rather be the one who goes down in flames than anyone else from my team," I said.

"Good thing Lieutenant Rockford wasn't flying with you," said Grimm and we all laughed at that.

I thought about what I had just said and now I understood the reason why Captain Bartlett saved Kei at the start of this war. He might have been a hard ass but he looked out for everyone under his command, whether they were his friends or his responsibility. Bartlett was a good man and I could see what Pops meant when he said that I reminded him of Bartlett. _I hope that guy is doing okay, where ever he is._

The party continued and everyone was having a great time. Chopper tried getting me to drink but I refused every time he offered and I stuck to drinking the punch. I could hold my alcohol pretty well but I just didn't like the taste of any of it. All the women pretty much cut loose and Kei, Michelle, and Erica started dancing on top of one of the tables. I was enjoying their display and so were the other guys in the room. Chopper took this as a challenge and started a dance competition with anyone who wanted in on it. I felt like I could've improvised something with my martial arts skills but I decided against it. No one really knew how to do much of anything except for Kei, Erica, and Grimm. Kei's and Erica's dancing was more hip hop while Grimm's was more like an Irish jig. They all did pretty good but I liked Grimm's traditional style so my vote went towards him. I continued mingling with everyone for a little longer before I had to take a bathroom break. I rushed out of the mess hall and into the bathroom to do my business. Once that was out of the way, I washed my hands and headed back to join the others. As I approached the doors to the mess hall, I saw Michelle leaning against the hallway wall and she saw me coming. She was smiling at me and I could only wonder why. She had let her hair down and her green eyes were locked onto me as if she was trying to see into me.

"Is everything okay, Lieutenant?" I asked.

"Yeah, I was just wondering where you went," she said as she continued smiling at me.

"I just had to use the head and now I'm ready to get back in there and join the others," I said trying to get away from her. _That smile of hers is making me really uncomfortable._

"Captain, wait," said Michelle as she stopped me. "I heard about what happened during the Hrimfaxi attack and how you had to bail out of your plane last night."

"Yeah, the sub's AA guns nearly tore me a new one," I said.

"Yeah, and I've been spending all this time wondering why you didn't take me with you on that mission." she said. I had a bad feeling about where this was going because of that smile of hers. "It's because you care about me, isn't it?"

_What the hell?!_ "I… uh… It's not like…"

"I wanted to thank you for keeping me out of harm's way," said Michelle.

She walked up to me, wrapped her arms around my neck, and kissed me. I was caught completely off guard by her and I was in complete shock. The kiss lasted less than two second before I gently pushed her back. I looked at her in disbelief and I was at a loss for words. It wasn't until I pushed her back that in noticed Kei standing there in the doorway, looking at us. _Oh God, no!_ I could see the sadness and anger in her eyes as she looked at me. An eternity seemed to pass before she turned away and started walking down the hallway away from me and Michelle.

"Kei, wait," I called after her as I walked past Michelle. Kei just kept walking with her head down and I ran after her. I continued to call her name but she wouldn't look at me. I finally caught up with her and gently grabbed her by the shoulder so I could make her face me.

"Listen, I can….."

**November 16, 1406hrs Sand Island AFB**

_What happened? Where am I?_ I opened my eyes to find myself in the sickbay. I was laying on one of the beds wearing only my shirt and boxers. I don't know how I got in here or what happened. All I remember was following Kei after she saw Michelle kiss me. _I really hope that was a dream and that I got wasted at the party._ My head felt like it was ready to burst and lower right rib was sore. One of the doctors came over to my bed to check on me.

"Jeez, I thought you'd never wake up Captain," said the doctor.

"What happened?" I asked as I sat up.

"Lieutenant Rockford said that Lieutenant Nagase knocked you out for some reason. You've been out for about eighteen hours."

_So it wasn't a dream. _From how I felt, I assumed Kei knocked me out by using one of the moves I taught her two weeks ago. I got out of the bed to put my flight suit back on and head out of the room. The doctor suggested that I stay but I told him I had something I had to do. I walked out of the sickbay and started making my way back towards my room. I ran into Grimm in the hallway and he asked me what happened last night.

"Not now, where's Kei?" I demanded.

"I don't know sir, no one has seen her all day," said Grimm.

"What about Rockford, where is she?"

"Last I saw time I saw her she was in the crew room, why?"

I didn't bother answering him and I took off towards the crew room. Nothing mattered to me other than trying to clear up what had happened last night. _I hope Kei will have enough sense to let me explain before something becomes so FUBAR that it affects us in the future._ I had to get Michelle to help me explain to Kei what happened. I got to the crew room and found that Michelle wasn't there. That's when I remembered she went on leave today and that she probably left the island by now, but I had to make sure.

"Are you looking for someone Captain," said Genette.

"Yeah, Kei and Michelle, have you seen either of them?" I asked.

"Lieutenant Rockford and Lieutenant Nelms left to go on leave like two hours ago and nobody's seen Lieutenant Nagase all day."

_Dammit, where is she?_

**2214hrs**

I spent all day wandering around the base, asking everyone I ran into if they've seen Kei and I kept getting the same answer form them all. She had to be somewhere on the base where no one would think of looking for her. _I need to think, I'd better get some sleep first._ I headed towards my room and I kept my head on a swivel, hoping that by some fluke, I would find her. When I arrived outside of my door, I couldn't help but feel like I shouldn't go in there. I didn't know if she was actually in there, but if she was, I felt that I should just give her some space. I walked away from the door and headed towards the crew room. No one was there and it didn't help my feeling of loneliness any. As I lay on the couch, I thought about the words I would use to explain to Kei what happened last night. With Michelle gone, I had to convince her all by myself and considering the circumstances, it was going to be difficult.

**November 17, 2010 0530hrs Sand Island AFB Crew Room**

I woke up to the sound of my watch alarm going off. I fell asleep on the couch in the crew room and I was still the only person in the room. I got up off the couch and made my way towards the locker room where I had left my duffel bag from when Kei and I came back from Oured. I grabbed the workout shirt, gym shorts, and running shoes that I had packed but never used. I put my work out clothes and went on my morning run. I still kept my eye out for Kei as I ran around the base but I didn't see her. _Maybe she was in our room this entire time. _The thoughts of Kei were racing through my head and I felt myself running faster and faster like I was hoping to eventually see her in front of me at some point during my run, but she wasn't there and it made me wonder if I'd ever find her.

I made my way towards the gym and I heard cheering coming through the doorway as I came closer. _What's going on in there?_ I looked inside the gym to see everyone gathered around the boxing ring cheering on Kei and one of the base security guards as they fought. Some people might have called it sparing, but this was a full on fight. Kei wasn't holding anything back as she landed hit after hit on the guard's body. When the guard staggered backwards from a hard punch to the jaw, Kei ran towards him, jumped, and struck the guard in the jaw with her knee. I stood in the doorway of the gym and watched as the guard was hauled out of the gym and saw another challenger enter the ring to face Kei. I walked up to one of the spectators and asked what was going on.

"The Lieutenant has been calling for any and all challengers who want to fight her. So far she's beaten three… make that four people since this started."

"Why is she doing this?" I asked.

"I don't know, but all we know that she's pissed off about something and everyone is just having a good time watching this,"

Kei was pacing back and forth in the ring, waiting for another challenger and eventually the martial arts instructor stepped up to challenge her. _He doesn't stand a chance._ The instructor casually walked up to Kei and started to go on the offensive. He wasn't able to land any hits on her and within seconds, Kei had turned the tables on him. She drove the instructor back into the corner and she knocked him out the same way she knocked me out. The instructor was pulled from the ring and everyone could tell that Kei wasn't done yet. Another challenger was about to enter the ring and I quickly rushed up behind him and stopped him. _I have to end this before someone ends up dead._ I entered the ring and took off my socks and shoes. Kei's eyes were full of anger and I could tell she wasn't in the mood to talk, but I had to try.

"Oh man, this is going to be good," said a spectator.

"My money is on Nagase, she's been on a roll."

"Nah, Castillo's gonna pull off a miracle like he did last time."

"Yeah right, Nagase's improved since last time because Castillo taught her some of what he knew."

I didn't want to fight Kei but I could tell she wanted to fight me. All I wanted to do was talk to her and explain what happened the other night, but she didn't seem like she wanted to listen. I had to get in close to talk to her or risk having the spectators finding out about us. The ref rang the bell and Kei rushed towards me. I stepped towards the side and Kei bounced off of the ropes but she managed to swing a high round house kick at me that I easily dodged by ducking. I stood back up and nudged her in the back with my shoulder to put some distance between us.

"Will you stop for one minute and let me talk to you?" I asked.

Kei came back with a left and right cross that I deflected. I grabbed her left arm as she swung a left hook, put her into an arm bar, and I rolled over her back. I blocked another back kick and ducked as she spun around to try and back hand me. Kei then tried to hit me in the head with her right knee and I avoided it by throwing my left shoulder back and I wrapped my left arm under her right thigh to pull her to the ground on her stomach. I quickly got on top of her and wrapped my arm around under Kei's right arm and around her neck.

"Listen, the other night wasn't…"

Kei was trying hard to get loose and she struck me in the ribs with her left elbow. I felt my grip loosen from around her neck. After she hit me three more times in the ribs, I completely let go and she threw her head back to hit me just under my eye. The pain was excruciating to the point where I rolled off of Kei's back as I held my face in agony, but I didn't have enough time to worry about it because Kei had put me into a cross arm breaker. I tried tickling her foot again but this time she wised up by striking her heel into the center of my chest. I couldn't get her leg behind me like I did the last time and I realized that Kei was intent on hurting me. _I don't have much of a choice now._ I grabbed Kei's foot, brought it up to my mouth, and bit into her heel. She screamed in pain and let go of my arm as a result of what I just did. I quickly got onto my feet and realized I couldn't move my right arm because it had been pulled out of place. _Outstanding, now I have to try and stop her with one arm._

Kei rushed towards me again and struck me on both sides of my jaw with a hard left and right cross. _Don't lose control, Antonio. Stay calm!_ She then ran her fist into my stomach and I felt myself lean forward from the pain. As I leaned forward, Kei struck me in the head with her right knee and as I felt my body lean back, she followed up with a round house kick with her left leg that struck me on the side of my head.

I felt myself collapse to the ground and I could taste the blood in my mouth. I lay in the middle of the ring on my stomach and I felt myself fad in and out. _You're not getting out of here, little shit. I'll kill you before I let that happen._ I felt myself reliving the day I tried to escape from project Pit bull and I felt something snap inside of me. I opened my eyes to see Kei standing on the opposite side of the ring glaring down at me. The spectators were quiet now and I slowly got up onto my feet using my one good arm. I lifted my head up and saw the glare on Kei's face slowly turn into a look of fear as she watched me push my right shoulder back into place. Her eyes were widened and her mouth was slightly opened. There was no mistaking that she was scared of me at that moment. She tried to cover up her fear by glaring at me again but I didn't fall for it.

Kei charged forward and to swing a haymaker at me but I ducked to avoid it and I buried my right kneed Kei in the stomach. As she leaned forward, I swung my right leg around and swept her off her feet and she landed on her back. When I came out of the spin, I tried to run my fist into her chest but she rolled out of the way. Kei flung herself onto her feet and she tried throwing another series of punches that I dodged too easily. I caught her right arm with my left hand and Kei tried to high kick me with her left leg. I ducked and stepped to my right so that when Kei brought her leg down, her arm was placed between her legs. I pulled had on her arm and Kei flipped forward and land on her back. I leaned over her and glared into her eyes.

"Do you want to keep going? If so, then it's only going to get worse," I growled.

Kei flung her leg back in an attempt to hit me in the head with her foot but I dove and rolled out of the way. Kei got back on her feet and put her guard up. We circled the around the ring as we kept our eyes locked onto each other. She was getting desperate and I could tell she was running out of ideas. Kei ran up to me and started to attack. I continued dodging or deflect her attacks and waited for her to mess up. Kei threw a hard right hook that I blocked and she followed with a spinning back kick. I caught her leg while she was in mid-air and I threw her toward the ropes. Kei was able to break her fall by rolling on her back and stop herself by using the ring's ropes. I moved in to try and end the fight, but Kei wasn't about to give up. I deflected her back kick and grabbed her arm as tried to back hand me again. I turned around and pulled her over my back to flip her in front of me. As I saw her feet come into view, I leaned back and Spartan kicked her straight in the chest and sent her flying back towards the opposite side of the ring. Kei was lying on her back, gasping for air. I had knocked the wind out of her and I could only watch her as she laid there. I walked over towards Kei and knelt over her. I looked at her and saw that she wasn't in much shape to continue fighting. I could tell that she still wanted to keep going, but this was the only chance I had to talk to her.

"I warned you and yet, you wanted to keep going. I know you're mad at me from two nights ago and it's not what you think," I said and I leaned in closer to her ear. "You and I have something special going on between us and you know damn well I wouldn't give that up for anything. You're all I have in this world and I promised myself that I wouldn't lose you. If you need time to get over this then I understand, but believe me when I say that my heart is only set on you and you alone."

I got back up and headed out of the ring and out of the gym. The medical officer wanted to take a look at me to make sure I was okay but I waved him away. I was in a lot of pain and I still could barely move my right arm. I went back to the room and got a clean uniform to change into after I took my shower. I thought about how Kei reacted to this whole situation, and the more I thought about it, the more pissed off I got. _She over reacted and didn't even give me the chance to explain. It's not my fault she's too emotional about everything. _I love you, Kei.

**0947hrs Sand Island AFB**

I spent the next couple hours away from everyone on the base and sat on the east shore of the island. I was alone in my thoughts as I watched storm clouds gather overhead. Even though I hated being alone, I felt like it was necessary so that way I don't spread my bad mood around towards everyone else. I didn't know if anyone else in Wardog heard about the fight Kei and I were involved in earlier and I figured Kei would still be absolutely livid about what I did to her this morning. _Guess I could call that payback for her dislocating my shoulder._ I slapped myself across the back of my head when I thought that. Even if she did do that to me, that didn't give me the right to retaliate like that.

"Captain," I heard someone call.

I looked behind me to see Corporal Washington getting out of one of the buggies the security team uses to get around with.

"What do you need, DaVaughn?" I asked.

"You have a mission briefing that's about to start without you. Get in," said DaVaughn.

I got up, got inside the buggy, and we headed towards the briefing room. The rest of Wardog was already seated and I took a seat away from everyone else in the back corner of the room. No one bothered looking at me so I assumed they heard about what happened this morning.

Our mission for today was to fly into Yuktobania and support a rescue operation as Osean Marines infiltrated a POW camp and cleared the way for the extraction of the POWs. The reports from the surrounding area indicated that enemy air patrols were in the area and Wardog's first priority was to shoot them down and support the rescue operation afterwards. Weather conditions were expected to be poor which meant that we'd have to get close to detect the enemy air patrols. Our preflight data indicated that there were a total of twelve enemy aircraft in the area. _I wonder if Captain Bartlett's in this POW camp._ Colonel Perrault dismissed us and we headed towards the hangers to pick our planes. Pops was waiting with the rest of the ground crews to hear our orders on what planes we were going to take.

"What are we going to fly today, Kid?" asked Chopper.

"I don't care, pick what you want and be ready to deal with air and ground threats," I said.

Everyone looked at me in disbelief after they heard what I said. I walked towards the locker room to get my flight gear and Chopper followed after me. I didn't want anything to do with anyone and I tried to isolate myself from them again.

"Kid, what's eating you? Did Nagase bruise your pride or something?" asked Chopper.

"No, just my face and my head," I said as put on my G-suit.

"Obviously she did more than that."

"Yeah, she knocked me out the night of the party and this morning, she dislocated my shoulder. Do you need more detail about what happened?" I snapped.

"Yeah, I want to know how all this shit started."

I slammed my locker door shut and sat on the bench as I gathered my thoughts. "Kei caught Rockford and I kissing the night of the party," I said glumly.

"Okay… why did the two of you kiss?" asked Chopper as he folded his arms and leaned against the lockers.

"She heard about what happened to my plane during the Hrimfaxi mission and she thought I didn't take her along because I knew I probably would've gotten her killed. Then she claimed that I cared about her and she said she wanted to thank me. That's when she planted one on me and Kei saw what happened. She didn't even give me the chance to explain and I had to literally fight her so I could get a chance to explain myself."

Chopper didn't know what to say and that actually surprised me. I got up off the bench and headed out of the locker room towards the hangers. I told Pops that I wanted to fly an F-2A and that I wanted it armed with four sidewinders, two AGM-88 HARMs, two rocket pods, and an external fuel tank. Kei chose to fly an F-15C with four sidewinders, four sparrows, four mavericks, and two external fuel tanks. Chopper and Grimm both chose to fly their F-15Es with four sidewinders, four sparrows, four bombs, and a pair of external fuel tanks.

We didn't say anything to each other as we waited for the order to launch. I was leaning in the doorway of the hanger and continued gazing towards the even closer rain clouds. My mind was still filled with the thought of Kei and the events that took place this morning. I wanted to talk to her and tell her I was sorry for everything that's happened. I looked back at her as she leaned against her plane with her arms folded and her head down. I couldn't see her eyes because her hair was in the way and I wasn't able to get a read on her. _I'm worried we're going to let our emotions get in the way of this mission._ I turned my gaze back towards the horizon and it started raining.

**1708hrs Glubina, Yuktobania**

"This is Archer. Captain, can you see the POW camp?"

"I can't see anything in this soup, Grimm," I said as I scanned the ground. We were flying over a region of Yuktobania that was full of rolling hills with scattered trees everywhere. This place would've been beautiful in the spring and if it wasn't storming.

"Well, we should be able to see it soon," said Chopper.

"Do you think the Captain…uh, I mean… Captain Bartlett… you think he's in there?" asked Grimm.

"I bet he is. He's probably busy cussing out all the other POWs and taking charge right now. Right, Nagase?"

Kei didn't say anything to Chopper and I couldn't tell if she didn't answer because she didn't want to think about her guilt towards letting down Captain Bartlett or if she didn't want me to hear her speak.

"You're not still blaming yourself now are you?" asked Chopper.

"No," said Kei softly.

_Bullshit. _

"Pilots, I can hear the roar of your engines approaching. Uh… this is Sea Goblin. Man, I thought if I joined the Marines I'd get to work on tropical beaches all the time… We've safely recovered the POWs. I guess our copter isn't here yet."

"Looks like you're going to have to baby sit 'em a bit longer. I'm picking enemy planes on radar," said Chopper.

"Roger. You're that squadron from Sand Island, right? I've heard of you guys. Can't wait to see you do your stuff," said Sea Goblin.

I looked at my radar and saw the faint radar signatures of two enemy Su-27s. I throttled forward and closed the distance between us. I didn't lock onto them just yet because I didn't want ruin our element of surprise. I positioned myself below and behind the element leader and fired my gun into both of his engines. The Su-27 began belching thick black trails of smoke and it nosed forward into a dive. Kei quickly dispatched the other Su-27 by sending a missile straight into its fuselage.

"These enemy air patrols are really cramping our style," said Chopper.

"Whatever, let's just hurry up and get this over with so we can go home. I'm already sick of this place," I said.

"Wildcat here; I'm not picking up any other radar signatures in the area. Birdy, how 'bout you," asked Justin.

"I'm not detecting anything either. We're getting too much interference from this snow storm," said Erica.

"We can't detect them unless we get close," said Kei.

"Alright, Edge, take Archer and cover the western sector. Chopper, you're with me," I said and we dispersed.

I told Chopper to lead the way so that Justin could direct us with the Strike Eagle's more powerful radar. I kept my eyes peeled as well, not that I could see any better but I still kept a look out. _This blizzard is pissing me off even more._ After about a minute of flying with no enemy contact, Justin finally spotted faint radar contacts of an enemy formation towards the east. We headed off in the enemies direction and soon, I was able to pick up the enemies on my radar. Chopper said he had a radar lock on the three enemy planes and fired.

"Chopper, wait," I said, trying to get him to told fire, but I was too late.

"What's wrong," asked Justin.

"Those are radar guided missiles you just fired and they might not track their targets through this storm," I said.

We all looked ahead and watched the missiles streak towards the enemy formation. I saw one explosion and I looked at my radar to see that the other two fighters had scattered. I told Chopper to take one of the enemy planes and that I would take the other. I followed my target as he tried climbing above the storm. I guess he didn't see me because he didn't try maneuvering out of the way. I was going to try and shoot him down with my gun so that way his missile warning wouldn't let him that I was chasing him. As he leveled out of his climb, I rolled upside down and brought my gun sight to bear on the underside of his plane. I squeezed the trigger and I felt my plane shudder as my gun came to life and sent a volley of lead into his plane. As the wreckage fell to the ground, I pulled back on the stick and dove back down to the deck to find Chopper. Chopper's target went into a descending spiral and instead of following him; Chopper went into a climb and dove back down after his target, creating some distance between the two of them. When the enemy pilot pulled out of his descending spiral, he pulled up and performed a canopy roll. He was expecting to see Chopper behind him but instead, his maneuver had given Chopper the perfect opportunity to fire a missile into the enemy plane.

"This is Sea Goblin, does it seem like the enemy craft have noticed our infiltration?"

"They haven't started making their way towards the camp so I guess not," I said.

"You heard our Captain, relax and just wait there at the camp

"Roger, we've cut off the enemy's lines of communication here, but it's just unsettling not being able to tell what the situation is," said Sea Goblin

We regrouped and continued hunting for the remaining patrol planes. It wasn't long before we encountered a single MiG-29. Chopper easily dispatched him and I looked at my radar map to plot where we encountered the previous patrols. I tried to predict where the next enemy air patrols might be and I guessed that Kei and Grimm might have already intercepted them.

"Edge, what your location," I asked over the radio.

"Eight miles south east of your location, sir," said Grimm.

"Have you encountered any enemies yet?"

"So far we've encountered a pair of Su-27s and nothing else, sir."

"Alright, head six miles south and see if the final formation is in that area. Chopper and I will regroup with you soon," I said.

Chopper and I applied full throttle and raced towards Grimm and Kei. I couldn't help but notice that Kei didn't answer me when I specifically asked for her location. I was starting to get the feeling that she was going to get herself killed because she wouldn't listen to me. I had to do something to make her get her head straight. When we all regrouped, Erica called out the final four enemy aircraft towards our eleven o' clock and we turned to engage. I ordered Grimm and Chopper to scatter them by launching their remaining sparrow missiles at them, regardless of the radar interference.

None of their missile found their mark and the enemy formation scattered. I ordered us to disperse and engage at will. I latched onto the lead plane's wingman gave chase, but I made the mistake of trying to out-turn him. I chose to fly the F-2 because its paint scheme blended in better to the surrounding of our AO and I was planning on trying to maintain a stealthy approach to this mission, but now it was pointless. He pulled into a hard left turn and I couldn't maintain the turn so I had to break off or risk stalling in the high G turn. _Shit, I should've known better than to do that._ I applied full throttle and tried to speed away from my pursuer, but he latched onto me and was gaining on me, fast. _I got you right where I want you. _My attacker acquired a missile lock on me and I launched a set of flares to break the lock. When the enemy plane was close enough, I applied the air brake, buried the stick into my right thigh, and hit full bottom rudder. My F-2 barrel rolled over the Su-27 and I quickly acquired a missile lock and fired. My missile flew into the cockpit of the plane and I quickly flew back towards the others.

"This is Sea Goblin; combat has broken out in the camp! You got control of the airspace now, right?"

"Were almost there, it won't be that much longer until the air is sanitized," I replied.

Chopper and Grimm were pursuing their targets with no problems while Kei was having trouble with the flight lead. She led the Su-27 into a rolling scissors and she was quickly losing that fight. Kei was on the edge of stalling and gave her plane more thrust to escape from the enemy. _She's in knee deep in it right now. _I turned towards them and got behind Kei's pursuer. I followed them through all of their maneuvers and waited for the right time to make my move. When the enemy pilot followed Kei into a wide left turn, I fired my gun at him but it passed right by his canopy when he reversed direction to follow Kei as she broke hard right. The enemy pilot saw my tracers and broke off his pursuit of Kei to try and evade my attacks. I was ready to pull any of the high G maneuvers he was going to attempt and I kept him at a distance so that way I could react to any of his counter maneuvers. He led me into the vertical, rolled his plane 180 degrees and leveled off above the cloud deck with me right behind him. I had my finger poised on the trigger and as I squeezed it, the shuddering of my plane caused my finger to slip and arm my rockets. _Dammit, not now_. The Su-27 then attempted to pull off Pugachev's Cobra and out of sheer instinct; I rolled my plane 90 degrees to the left and fired two rockets into the enemy plane. My first rocket missed and my second rocket exploded into the left wing, causing the Su-27 to tumble helplessly out of the air. I was amazed to see the pilot regain control of his plane and continue on flying with only one wing. He wasn't able to get far before Kei closed in on him and finished him off with a missile.

Kei formed up on my left wing and I looked back at her to see her glaring at me through the blizzard. It was like she thought I was trying to steal her kill when in reality, I was trying to help her. _Is she really that mad at me?_ I was starting to get fed up with her attitude and I decided to leave it at that and not get in her way until she was ready to talk to me again.

"Alright, we've mopped up the enemies in the area; you can call in the taxi now," said Chopper.

"Whew! Uhh, this is Sea Goblin. Our ride's here. The ground's still crawling with weapons instillations, though, so they can't land. Could you clear those out for us?"

"Hang on, we're on the way," I said.

We turned towards the POW camp and I saw all the enemy instillations pop up on my HUD. This place had a lot of AA defenses for a POW camp and they were all located to the west of the camp. They were already firing up toward the pair of CH-47s that were inbound to extract the POWs and the Marines.

"I see the POW camp. The man I must… the people we must help are in there," said Kei. "We have to suppress the AA fire first."

"Then get to it. Disperse, all weapons are permitted. I want our people to get out of here in one piece," I said.

I was still quite a distance from the camp and I fired my AGMs to destroy radar guidance systems of the AA defenses and the enemy radio antennas. The AA guns were firing up at the helicopters erratically and the SAMs couldn't get a lock on the helicopters. We all took advantage of the confusion and laid waste to the AA defenses. I was headed straight for a SAM sight and I fired a volley of rockets at it and destroyed it. As I pulled out of my attack run, one of the AA guns landed a couple of hits alongside my cockpit and under my right wing. I took some shrapnel in the right side of my helmet and I quickly sped out of the AA gun's reach. I circled back around to attack another set of AA defenses when I saw the rest of Wardog commencing their attacks on the other defenses. Kei launched all of her maverick missiles on her first pass while Grimm and Chopper took a couple passes at dive bombing their targets, but just when we thought we had cleared the way, more targets popped up on radar.

"Let's get this over with before nightfall. We're screwed if they blow up our helicopter," said Chopper.

"The POWs will be free in a few minutes," said Grimm.

"Wait 'til they're back in their old jobs being over worked like us. I bet they'll want to get back into that camp."

We all regrouped and used our remaining weapons to clear out an LZ for the helicopters. Once they were taken care of, the only thing that was left for us to do was wait for the Marines to clear themselves a way out of the camp. We couldn't provide any support for them because they were too close to the enemy forces, but luckily, there was an allied gunship here to provide support for the Marines while we circled overhead to provide top cover. The Marines designated targets for the gunship, using green smoke. I looked at the camp to see Yuke soldiers collapsing as bullets from the gunship ripped into them.

"Okay, thanks for taking out the trash. We're taking the POWs outside, can you see their smiling faces?" asked the Sea Goblin Marine.

We continued to circle overhead and made sure that all targets had been destroyed. Everything was calm, but it didn't feel right. _There's no way we already took care of every threat down there._

"Those people… I wish I could see their faces from up here," said Kei.

I looked down at the LZ and saw the Marines escorting the POW towards the helicopters. They looked to be in pretty rough shape and I couldn't recognize any of them as I looked at them through my binoculars. _We're almost done here._

"Nagase's actually going down to look," said Chopper as he chuckled.

"Edge, get back into formation," I said, but she ignored me.

"Alright, everyone's in the helicopter. Checking to make sure we got all of them," said Sea Goblin.

"Sea Goblin, is Captain Bartlett there? Check for a Captain Bartlett," said Kei.

"Hmm, no… nobody named Bartlett here. Hey, what about you?" asked Sea Goblin to one of the POWs. "Nope, he's not here. None of the other POWs ever heard of him either."

"But that can't… Look, just check for me one more time."

"Edge, there's more than one POW camp in Yuktobania, Captain Bartlett could be in any one of them. Now get back in formation," I said sternly.

Kei grunted in disbelief and she headed back towards us. I watched as she came closer towards us and then, I saw a puff of smoke come from a bunker that was dug into the side of a hill. It was a SAM and it was headed straight for Kei. _No, not her!_

"Ah, dammit Nagase," said Chopper.

The gunship fired a barrage of rockets into the bunker to prevent any more missiles from being launched. Kei tried hard to shake the missile off of her, but it was glued to her tail. She was banking hard and then she went vertical. I throttled up and flew between her and the missile to keep her safe. Now the missile was locked onto me. I dove for the deck at full speed, hoping the move would put some distance between the missile and my plane. I launched another set of flares to try and confuse the missile, but it easily found its way back towards me. I was about to break into, which was a good thing that I didn't because it would've flown through my canopy and killed me. I barrel rolled over the missile and it shot past me. I quickly reversed my direction, thinking the missile had finally lost track of me, but it didn't. It circled around and came for me again from above. _I can't avoid it this time._

"Blaze," shouted Kei.

"I know you didn't want to lose another flight lead, but I'd rather go down instead of you. I'm sorry for everything… and I hope you can forgive me," I said softly and I braced myself for the impact of the missile.

My life seemed to flash before my eyes as I sat still holding the necklace my mom gave me when I was twelve. Every moment of my life was being replayed in my head so vividly, that I could've sworn I was reliving it. The pain I felt from when Curtis AFB was attacked, the voices of the scientist from project Pit bull, and even Kei's touch were all I things I could feel as I waited for my imminent death. _This is for you Kei._

I couldn't hear my missile warning anymore and I could feel the cold air seeping into my cockpit from the holes in my plane. _Is this what death feels like?_ I opened my eyes to see that I was still alive and I looked around to see what was going on. I spotted Kei's F-15 fly past me with the missile chasing her again.

"Kei, NO!" I shouted.

"Nagase, what are you doing!" shouted Chopper.

"After all everything the Captain said to me, I…" began Kei but was cut off as I watched the missile impact her plane.

_No, please God, not Kei! It should've been me; I'm supposed to look out for my team._ I felt myself choking up as I continued to watch Kei's plane fall towards the ground, but then suddenly, I saw a small flash of light shoot up out from her plane. She had managed to bail out of her plane before it crashed into the ground.

"You alright," asked Chopper.

"I'm fine. My plane's trashed but those are always replaceable," said Kei.

"Sea Goblin, do you think you could head and pick her up?" I asked.

"Sea Goblin to gunship, we're taking our guests home now. Can you guys rescue her?"

"Roger. Weather conditions are getting worse, we'd better step on it," said the gunship pilot as they turned towards Kei's position. "Landing point confirmed, heading in to pick her up."

The gunship was almost at Kei location and I felt somewhat relieved. The rest of us circled above the gunship to watch it as it picked up Kei but suddenly, my plane violently rolled to the left. A huge gust of wind had blown against our planes and we had to struggle to keep our planes under control. I looked down at the gunship and saw it roll over and slam into the side of the hill Kei was on. The rotor blades flew off in every direction as the helicopter rolled down the hill.

"The gunship crashed!" shouted Grimm.

"Dammit, the storm's too strong," said Sea Goblin.

"We can't just leave her behind," said Chopper.

"Look, I hate it too but we have to wait for conditions to get better before we can do anything," said Grimm.

"I'm not leaving her," I said.

"We can't help her; we have to wait until the storm clears up."

"Dammit, is there nothing we can do?" asked Chopper.

"We can't help her anymore," said Grimm.

"Then RTB without me because I'm not leaving her," I said.

"Kid, I hate to admit it but Grimm's right. We have to wait until tomorrow," said Chopper.

"I don't care. I'll bail out if I have too, but I'm not leaving her!"

"Blaze…"

Kei's soft voice snapped me out of my stupor and I felt myself calm down. Her voice was full of concern but gentle at the same time. This was the first time she spoke to me sincerely since two days ago and I felt a great sense of comfort as she continued talking to me.

"I know you don't want to leave me, but you have to… I did my job as your wingman… now do your part as my flight lead and make sure the others get back home safely," said Kei over her radio.

I didn't want to leave, but her words had gotten to me. I hung my head as I came to my senses. "I'll be back for you," I said softly. "I promise…"

"I know."


	16. White Noise

**Chapter 15 – White Noise**

**November 17, 2010 2107hrs Sand Island AFB**

Returning to base without my wingman, my girlfriend whom I loved so much was overwhelming. I had to fight to keep myself together and keep it from around the others, but they found out. They could see it when we headed towards the briefing room and while I sat still when Colonel Perrault spoke about the mission.

"None of the rescued POWs saw Bartlett in the internment camp," said Perrault. "So where could he be, I wonder? Upon more favorable weather conditions, we will carry out a rescue operation for Captain Nagase."

I perked my head up at his last sentence. _Captain Nagase? She got promoted again?_ I looked at the others and they noticed it as well.

"That's right; you've all been promoted yet again. You guys are burning through the ranks, you know that? You can thank High Command for it," said Colonel Perrault.

Perrault might have said we were promoted again but I was still a Captain. Everyone except for Grimm, Erica, and Michelle were now Captains. Erica and Michelle were now 1st Lieutenants and Grimm was now a Technical Sergeant.

"Seems like you getting promoted two ranks at the beginning of the war wasn't enough for you, eh Grimm," said Chopper.

"I'm still waiting for my papers to go through so I can finally become a 2nd Lieutenant," said Grimm.

"I wonder how Nagase's gonna react to this news," said Justin.

I got up, left the briefing room, and walked outside into the rain while I ignored all the questions everyone was asking me. Once I was outside, I removed my flight gear and dropped it on the ground as I continued walking towards the edge of the base and onto the beach. Thoughts of Kei raced through my mind as I started to walk in the water and I stopped when I was knee deep. I thought about the first day we met and everything after that. I was her blue dove and I felt like I had let her down. I don't know if it was the rain or if it were my own tears that were running down face, but I watched as they dropped into the ocean. _This is for you, Kei. I cried a tear into the ocean, and I will love you until the day you find it._

"Kid, what the hell are you doing?"

I looked back to see Chopper standing on the shore behind me. He actually looked like he was worried about me for once. I took one last look out towards the horizon before I headed back towards the shore and sat down on the beach.

"Kid, acting like this isn't going to bring her back."

"It should've been me…. I should've protected her. I-I made a promise to her that I'd protect her and I let her down," I said. I was talking pretty fast and I couldn't stop myself from stammering. "She already hates me because of what happened between me and Rockford, I broke my promise to protect her, and now….. It's… I don't know how to deal with this."

"Follow me and I'll show you," said Chopper as he turned and headed up the dunes.

_What the hell is he talking about? _I followed Chopper up the shore and saw that he had driven a buggy to get to where I was and he had picked up my flight gear along the way. I got in and Chopper started driving towards the barrack's crew room. I told Chopper that I'd meet him in there once I got changed into some dry clothes and I headed up towards my room. I opened the door and saw that nothing in our room seemed different. Kei's book wasn't on her bed, nor was it anywhere else in the room. One thing that I did notice were the used tissues that were in the trash can that was sitting next to Kei's bed. _She's that upset over what happened._ I continued to get dressed and headed towards the rec room to join Chopper.

When I got there, Chopper was holding a bottle of vodka in one hand and a bottle of rum in the other. I also saw Genette in the room too. He was holding Kei's book in his hands and my first thought was to get it away from him, but walked up and handed me the book.

"I thought you'd want to see it," he said as I took the book.

I've only seen the inside of Kei's book once and I didn't feel like I should look inside. I remembered how she yanked it away from Chopper when he made a grab for it, so I assumed that there was something personal of hers in it. I flipped the pages, but I didn't read what was on them. As I was flipping through the book, I saw a small piece of paper fall out of it and land face down. I knelt down, picked it up, and flipped it over. It was the picture that we had taken together at the Ball that I had given her. I was holding Kei around her waist and she had her hands placed on mine. Her smile accented everything that was beautiful about her and I remembered how I felt as I embraced her. I flipped the photo over to read the note that I written on the back. _What I need to live has been given to me by the earth. Why I need to live has been given to me by you._ I noticed that some of the ink had been smeared a little and I could barely make out the trace of where a tear had fallen onto the photo.

"When did you two take this picture?" asked Genette.

"A week ago, when we were on leave in Oured," I said softly as I put the picture back into the book. "I remember every detail of that night."

"You never told me how you got those bruises on your face when I saw you the day we came back," said Chopper as he poured himself a glass of vodka and soda. "What's your poison, Kid?"

"I don't like drinking," I said as I sat down on the couch.

"How else are you going to lighten up tonight if you don't get a little buzzed?"

"I don't lighten up when I drink. I'll just end up pissing everyone off with my negativity," I said solemnly.

"I'll take my chances," said Chopper and he handed me a drink.

"No you won't," I said as I put the drink on the desk next to the couch. Grimm, Erica, and Justin all joined us in the rec room to try and keep each other's hopes up. It was great, knowing that we all wanted Kei back safely. Chopper kept asking me what Kei and I did during our little break and I told him about how I had to fight the Major and how I ran into my ex-girlfriend. I exaggerated the part about how Kei stepped in and confronted Becca and telling them that Kei punched Becca in the throat.

"No way, Nagase and your ex actually fought over you?" asked Genette.

"Why is that so had to believe?" I asked.

"Well, Captain Nagase always seemed so… calm. She strikes me as a pacifist."

"Where have you been for the past few days? Haven't you heard about how the Captain and Nagase almost fought to the death?" asked Justin.

"Wait, you fought Captain Nagase," Genette asked me.

"Yeah, last time she was out to kill me and she ended up getting the wind knocked out of her. She knows how to fight and that makes me feel a little bit better knowing that she can handle herself while she's out there," I said.

"Captain, how did you and Captain Nagase meet?" asked Genette.

**March 24, 2010 1032hrs Heierlark AFB **

"Blaze….. BLAZE!" shouted Master Sergeant Russell.

I was in the hanger turning my F-5's engine when I heard Russell calling for me. I looked up at him to see him waving me over to him as he looked out in the distance towards the runway. I put down my tools, stepped down from the ladder I was on, and ran over to Russell as I wiped off my hands on the rag I had in my back pocket. I saw a C-130 taxi onto the flight line and park five hundred yards away from where Russell and I were.

"What?" I asked as I stood next to him.

"Why don't you take a look at the rest of your classmates who arrived today," said Russell.

I walked outside the hanger and leaned against the door as I watched the passengers get off the plane with Russell. Most of them seemed eager to start their training while others just seemed worried about what they might encounter here. Only three of them were women and they all seemed stuck up. _Great, all these attractive girls on this base and none of them seem like they're interested in nothing but themselves._ Then I saw the last person get off the plane. I didn't know who she was or what she was like, but I could only gaze at her. I felt like I was in a trance with this immediate crush and I felt my heart skip a beat. She was a Japanese woman with straight, short black hair. Her eyes were gentle and full of kindness, but they also seemed like they harbored some kind of sadness. She took a look around from where she stood and she spotted me as I looked at her. She was beautiful and I felt myself become aware that I was staring at her when she gently waved at me. I quickly retreated back inside the hanger and returned to tuning my plane.

"That girl got you weak in the knees or something?" asked Russell.

"Nope, she just reminded me of someone I knew," I said quickly, trying to avoid the subject.

"Yeah right, you might've been here for only four days but I can tell when you're when you're full of shit," said Russell. "You should talk to her sometime."

"You might be able to tell when I'm lying, but you don't know how hard it is for me to talk to women," I said as I started turning my wrench.

"What's so hard about going up to a woman and saying 'hi'? Just sit next to her at chow and introduce yourself."

"Introductions are the easy part; it's what comes after that's always the hard part." I said and I continued working.

**1800hrs**

I was in the mess hall gathering food on my tray when I saw the woman from earlier standing further down the line. _I have to find some way to start up some kind of conversation with her, if she decides to sit anywhere near me._ I picked a table that was near the center of the mess hall, sat down and started eating. The food at Heierlark was some of the worst in the world, but it wasn't the worst that I've had. I kept watching the woman out of the corner of my eye as she made her way down the line and started looking for a place to sit. The others who were in front of her in line had already filled up the other tables and a couple of the other nuggets were already sitting next to me. _I hate awkward silences._

"So, how do you feel about starting flight training tomorrow?" I asked the others sitting around me.

"I'm really excited about it. I can't wait to show the others what I can do when I'm in the cockpit," said one of the nuggets.

_You still won't be able to keep up with me. _"You're that confident?" I asked.

"Yeah, my dad flew in the war fifteen years ago and he gave me a lot of pointers on how to fly. My name's Shadow by the way. My dad's friend gave me that name when I joined the air force."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Blaze," I said as I shook his hand.

"Why'd you pick that name?" asked Shadow.

"It wasn't really my choice. My flight instructor, Major Pesi, gave it to me because he said I have this aura of 'blazing anger' surrounding me. I think he really gave it to me because he saw the fox that I had printed on the side of my duffel bag. So what's your name?" I asked the other nugget sitting next to me.

"I'm Hoover. I had a habit of doing barrel rolls every time I shot down an enemy on the flight simulators I played when I was younger."

"Uh, excuse me," said the woman I had my eye on. "Do you mind if I join you?"

"You can join me any time you'd like, sexy lady," said Shadow, attempting to be smooth.

"Thanks, but this is one time only," said the woman as she sat down next to me.

I sat still because my shyness had gotten to me. _Dammit, I've shot down enemy aircraft, I've destroyed two super weapons, and I've been trained to kill with my bare hands, but I can't talk to a girl?_ I took a glance at her and smiled sheepishly when we made eye contact. I was thinking of something to say but nothing came to mind. I tried thinking back to some of my other relationships and came to realize that the most of my relationships started off as being friends. My relationship with Becca started off with her asking people for my name after I told her that she had beautiful hair. _No, don't tell her that she has nice hair._ I was trying to compliment her on something else but we were all in uniform so there was nothing I could really compliment her on. _Go for it!_

"I remember I grew my hair out as long as yours once," I said looking at her.

She looked at me with a blank stare and I could only assume that she thought what I said was stupid. I looked away from her and continued eating my dinner in an attempt to repress what I had just said. _Jeez, Antonio, you are so damn stupid_. Shadow and Hoover looked up at me and I could tell they were expecting me to go on about what I just said. I had nothing to follow it up with and I wasn't sure if I should. My palms were all sweaty and I was tapping my heel on the ground. _Okay, this is uncomfortable. Get away quickly! _

"I bet I look better than you did," said the woman as she giggled.

"Yeah, I ended up looking like a serial killer by the time I decided to get it cut," I said. _Why did I tell her that I looked like a serial killer?_

As soon as she was about to say something, someone announced that the base commander was in the mess hall and we all snapped to attention. I never bothered remembering the base commander's name because he rarely ever talked to anyone unless they royally screwed up. I honestly thought that he'd put us at ease but then he began to speak.

"I'm here today to welcome you to Heierlark Air Force Base where you'll spend the next fourteen months training to become combat pilots for the Osean Air Defense Force. I feel like I must warn you that the instructors here are not going to take it easy on you. They've all flown in the war fifteen years ago and they all know what it's like to fly for their lives," said the base commander as he started pacing back and forth in the mess hall. "The instructors are here to prepare you for the event that you come across a well-trained enemy in the unfriendly skies of Strangereal. I wish you all the best of luck in your pursuit of becoming the top pilot of your class. That is all."

The base commander left the room and everyone went back to eating and talking with the others. I was just about to sit down when I heard one of the instructors call me over to him. I took one last look at the woman and gently smiled at her.

"I'm Antonio Castillo by the way," I said as I held out my hand.

She gently smiled back at me and grasped my hand. "Kei Nagase, it's nice to meet you Antonio."

_Kei, that's a very lovely name._

**November 17, 2010 2143hrs Sand Island AFB Crew Room**

"I didn't know you liked her, Captain," said Genette.

"Yeah well, it couldn't go beyond me having a crush on her," I said as I slumped on the couch I was sitting on.

"But aren't you two…."

"I honestly don't know right now," I said.

"But you still have feelings for her, right Captain?" asked Grimm.

I nodded as I looked down at the ground. The others now knew that I loved Kei and they knew how hard I was taking her loss. Grimm tried to stay optimistic by telling me that she could take care of herself for one night and that we'd all be looking for her the moment she activated her distress beacon. I knew they wanted Kei back safely because we all relied on each other and our bond, as a group, had grown stronger over time. Genette brought out his photo album and showed us all the pictures he took of Wardog, from the day he arrived 'til now. Some of these pictures reminded me of the ones my dad showed me from when he was in the military. The pictures of the four original members of Wardog were my favorite because we've seen more together than our RIOs. Come to think of it, they weren't really official members of Wardog. They're only here on standby in case we needed them, but as much as we flew with them, I guess they were part of Wardog.

"I hope the good times don't end," said Grimm.

"I wouldn't call this war a 'good time', Grimm," said Justin.

"That's not what I meant, sir. I just don't want us to stop being friends like this."

"Yeah, we should all get together like this when everyone gets back here," said Erica and we all agreed.

We all talked for a bit longer before we all decided to go to bed. I took Kei's book back to the room and set it on the computer desk. I decided to sleep in my flight suit so that way I'd be ready at a moment's notice once the order came. Kei was still on my mind and as I lay in my bed, I couldn't sleep. I kept looking at Kei's bed like she was expecting to see her sleeping, but she wasn't. While I was lying in a warm bed, with a roof over my head, Kei was out there all alone in the cold, dark territory of Yuktobania. I looked at my watch and saw that it was two in the morning. I didn't know what else to do except go for a walk or head back to the crew room and raid the officer's liquor cabinet. I walked back into the dark crew room, turned on one of the lamps, opened the cabinet, and poured myself a glass of whiskey. I normally didn't drink because I never liked the taste of alcohol, but I didn't let that stop me from drinking that glass.

"Having trouble sleeping?"

I looked behind me to see Pops sitting in the dark corner of the room. _I'm surprised I didn't see him there._ Pops got up and took a seat next to me at the bar while I continued drinking.

"Yeah, everyone tells me I shouldn't worry, but I can't help it," I said.

"Well I don't think I couldn't help but worry about my girlfriend either if she was in enemy territory," said Pops with a smile.

"Hey Pops, can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me anything Blaze, you know that," said Pops.

"Yeah, but I feel like there are some subjects that I'm not sure you'd want to talk about. Anyways, did you lose any friends during the war fifteen years ago?" I asked.

"Yeah… I did," said Pops softly. "It was tough seeing those guys go down in flames, knowing that I couldn't do anything to help them. Then one day, I thought I was going to join them."

"What happened?"

"I was assigned a classified mission and I couldn't carry out my orders because of changes in the situation. I was intercepted by a group of enemy fighters and I led them over B7R, the Round Table, hoping that some of the allied fighters might be able to help me out," said Pops with a slight smile.

I remember the stories Lieutenant Colonel Harkin told about the Round Table and all the enemy encounters he had during his missions over there. I also read about the massive dogfights that occurred over B7R in the newspaper. I kept thinking to myself that I would've loved to fly against all those aces one day.

"Did the allies help you?" I asked.

"Oh yeah, but in the end I was still shot down and I had to bail out. I happened to meet up with Captain Bartlett on the ground and we made our way back towards the allied frontlines," said Pops as he chuckled, but then his tone got serious. "He was my last friend to survive the war and now he's gone. Losing friends is a part of war and nothing in the world can prepare you for it, but when the time comes, you have to hold onto every single bit of hope you can get and pray that they're still alive."

I nodded and thoughtfully drank the last bit of whisky in my glass. Kei wasn't dead and I was going to find her soon. I wasn't going to let her wait out there any longer than she had to. Pops and I continued talking until sunlight started showing itself over the horizon. I looked at my watch and saw that it was five o'clock in the morning. I was still wide awake and I wasn't tired at all when Colonel Perrault came over the intercom, telling Wardog to meet in the briefing room. _They found her!_ I ran out of the crew room and hauled ass towards the briefing room. I saw Chopper coming around one of the corners, shoving people out of the way and we both ran to the briefing room together. Grimm and Erica were already there and no one knew where Justin was. None of us bothered taking a seat and we urged Colonel Perrault to start the briefing without Justin. Perrault could only glare at us when he finally decided to start.

The radar team managed to intercept Kei's distress beacon within the same AO as yesterday, but the signal was extremely weak. Wardog was going to be sent in to get a better reading on her beacon and once we found her, we would report her location to Sea Goblin. Further analysis suggested that enemy forces are looking for Kei as well. _We'd better get moving_.

"Bring back Captain Nagase. Don't make us have to give her a posthumous two-rank promotion," said Colonel Perrault as we ran out of the room. _She's coming back alive and I'll kill anyone who tries to stop me from saving her._

We still had no idea where Justin was as the remaining four of us ran towards the hangers to get our planes. Chopper and I chose to fly F-15Cs armed it with four sidewinders, four AMRAAMs, four JDAMs, and PGU-28A/B multipurpose high explosive incendiary ammo for my gun. Grimm was going up in his F-15E with the same payload.

"Alright people, let's not keep her waiting any longer. Take off as soon as you get to the runway and make your way to the AO. Don't wait for us," I ordered as we taxied onto the runway. _Hold on Kei, I'm coming for you._

**November 18, 2010 0958hrs Glubina, Yuktobania **

No one said anything as we flew at top speed back towards Glubina. Chopper knew how serious I was about today's mission and he knew I wasn't going to let the enemy get in my way. The weather had cleared up and an even blanket of snow covered the hills and valleys. The sun's reflected light was too bright for me, even with my tinted visor down. I put on my Aviator sunglasses underneath, and continued to wait for the distress senor to appear on my HUD. When it did appear, so did the radar signatures of two enemy MiG-29s coming at me from head on. I yawed to the left, just a little bit and acquired a lock on one of the MiGs with an AMRAAM. I fired it at the flight lead and I fired a sidewinder at his wingman when he was close enough and watched my missiles impact the enemy planes. I noticed that when I yawed, I had a better signal on Kei's beacon.

"This emergency locator beacon is our connection to Nagase. Let's hurry up and find her," said Chopper. "Hang in there Nagase!"

"Right, I'll try to get a bearing that has a better response," said Grimm.

I continued flying towards the signal and it dawned on me that I hadn't heard anything from Kei yet. "Kei, are you alright? Talk to me woman," I said over the radio.

"I'm okay… I can keep going," she said, breathing heavily.

It was great to hear her voice again, but I would've felt better if I could've seen her again. I saw three more enemy radar signatures coming at me from head on and they started tracking me on radar. _I don't have time for this, get out of my way!_ I locked all three of them up with my remaining AMRAAMs and fired on them. All three planes still flew towards me as they spewed out flames and oily smoke from behind.

"Guy's, I'm taking too much heat from enemy aircraft. I need help," I said.

"Grimm, Chopper, you have to protect Blaze," urged Erica.

"Protect Blaze? I'm the one being protected," said Kei.

"I don't see how running for your life puts you under some kind of protection," I said.

"What?"

"Never mind, just keep moving and I'll find you."

I was so focused on finding Kei that I ignored all the questions and remarks the others were making, but I noticed that the Yukes had a large force that was spread out over a wide area. _Why would they need this many troops and hardware to find one pilot? _I figured that they didn't have a fixed location on Kei's position because they were too spread out, but what really worried me was that they knew who Kei was and what she helped accomplish in the war. _How could they know who she is?_ The reality of what the Yukes might do to her if she was caught sank in and I picked up the pace.

"Kid, do you understand how to view the distress signal sensor on your HUD?" asked Chopper.

"If I didn't then I wouldn't be heading in the right direction," I said sarcastically.

"Okay, just checking. Make sure you don't miss Nagase's signal."

"Grimm, try to soften up those ground forces if you see an opportunity," I ordered.

Kei's signal was getting stronger and I opened up the wideband radio channel to listen in on the Yuke communications. I listened in on one patrol in particular and they sounded like they were closing in on her. I was still being targeted by enemy aircraft and mobile SAMs and I wanted to tell Chopper to break off, but I needed him to stick with me.

"Eleven o' clock, something just moved in the forest!" shouted one of the Yukes.

_Dammit, we have to hurry!_ I continued to pay attention to detection bar and noticed that it was going berserk. _What the hell is going on?_ I looked at my radar and saw that it was acting the same way and I knew that something was wrong. I looked ahead and saw a Yuktobanian E-767 clawing for altitude. I started to wish I hadn't used my AMRAMMs so soon.

"That's a Jammer aircraft," said Chopper.

"It's being Jammed," shouted Grimm.

"Hurry up and take that son of a bitch down! We can't waste any more time here," I said.

I heard gunfire over the radio and I knew Kei was running out of time. I throttled up and performed an Immelmann turn to get behind the E-767. I lined up my gun sight on the right engine and squeezed the trigger. My bullets ripped into the plane's engine and watched it belch out smoke and flames. The fuel lines ignited and the flames reached the main fuel tank. The E-767 exploded and the jamming cleared up. I looked at the detection bar and quickly changed direction to continue my search for Kei.

"I've heard that engine sound before… Blaze, is that you," asked Kei.

"I'm coming Kei, just hold on."

"They're firing at me, I'm moving away!"

_Shit, where are you?!_ Her signal was getting stronger and I flew to lower altitude to try and get a visual on her or the Yuke patrol I was listening in on. Kei's distress signal indicated that I was right on top of her and I started circling the area while Chopper and Grimm were still fending off the enemy fighters that were sent to intercept us.

"Kei, your beacon says I'm right on top of you. Where are you?" I said.

I looked down at the ground and saw her run into a clearing. She was waving her arms at me and I almost yelled out of sheer joy when I saw her. I rocked my wings to let her know that I saw her, but then I looked behind her and saw the Yuke patrol closing in on her. Kei turned around and drew her pistol to fire at them. I peeled away and brought my F-15 around to make an attack run on the Yuke position.

"Take cover, I'm coming in for a strafing run," I said.

I saw Kei run towards my plane as I descended on the enemy patrol. I opened fire with my gun and I saw dirt and snow kick up around the enemy soldiers as they collapsed. I looked back to see more Yuke soldiers appear and make another push towards Kei, who was a good distance away from them now. I turned my plane around one last time. I told Kei to take cover again and she dove to the ground. I lined up a JDAM and dropped it on the enemy soldiers. The explosion was big enough to intimidate the remaining soldiers to fall back and leave Kei alone for now.

"This is Sea Goblin. Wardog, have you found her?"

"Yeah, I got visual on her right now," I said.

"Good job, you got good eyes. We'll move in for the rescue. While we're on our way, eliminate those enemy fighters for us. We need to make sure this place is safe," said Sea Goblin.

"Whoa, whoa, there are still enemies on the ground!" exclaimed Chopper.

"Take them out too. Don't let anything get in the way of this rescue operation," I ordered. "Kei, Sea Goblin's on its way, ETA, six minutes."

"Don't worry, we'll take your princess back to base safely," said Sea Goblin.

"You do that, and I'll worship you guys," said Chopper.

I started making my way towards Sea Goblin, taking out any enemy AA defenses along the way. More enemy fighters were headed in to intercept the helicopter and we engaged them right away. Grimm managed to down two enemies with his gun within three second. Chopper was effectively dealing with the enemy attack helicopters by flying within close proximity to them at high speed and using his jet wash to destabilize them in flight which caused the pilots to lose control and crash. When the first wave of interceptors was dealt with, we formed a Lufbery above Sea Goblin to stave off any further attackers.

"Hey, so this Captain Nagase is she a looker?" asked the Sea Goblin pilot.

"Why don't you rescue her and see for yourself," said Chopper.

"If she's hot, I'm asking her out."

"Well then, you can find out how tough her guard is too. C'mon, just hurry up, will ya? Please."

I felt my jealousy grow as the Sea Goblin pilot kept talking about her like that. It got to the point where I left the Lufbery circle to engage the first enemy fighter that popped up on my HUD. I chased after him at full speed and he broke hard left. I was going to over shoot him at the speed I was going but I already had it figured out. I pulled up into a high angled climbing left turn, or a High Yo-Yo. This maneuver allowed me to turn my air speed into altitude while staying behind my target. I was in gun range above and behind him and as I dove on him, I fired my gun into his engines and his plane broke apart as I continued to dive past him and engaged and shot down another enemy fighter that was trying to make its way towards the Sea Goblin. I saw more enemy fighters headed for the helicopter and then I started to realize that the Lufbery circle that I was so fond of was pretty much useless with only three aircraft. Even with Kei, it still wouldn't prove to be any use. We all broke off and engaged at will. The enemy interceptors were relentless, but we didn't let any of them get through.

"What do you think he meant by how tough her guard is?" asked one of the Sea Goblin pilots.

"It's a pun," I said annoyed as I fired a missile at another enemy plane.

There was a moment of silence as I gave them a minute to try and figure it out but they eventually gave up. During that moment of silence, I managed to shoot down another enemy fighter and began chasing my next target.

"Okay, her guard I'm assuming is her ability to defend herself and the other meaning?"

"Her bodyguard," I retorted and Sea Goblin stopped talking about Kei.

They were four miles away and the enemy interceptors were starting to thin out. I was looking for another target to engage when I noticed a single radar signature appear on my HUD. The target was pretty far away and I pulled out my binoculars to get a closer look at the aircraft. _An X-29, how did the Yukes get their hands on that?_ The X-29 is a highly maneuverable aircraft because of its forward swept wings and frontal canards. A good pilot would be able to make it dance and by the way this aircraft was painted, this guy wanted to be noticed because he knew how to fly it.

"Chopper, Grimm, listen, I've got a bad feeling about this guy so keep your distance and continue protecting that helicopter," I ordered.

"What are you going to do?" asked Chopper.

I sped up to meet the X-29 pilot head on in a knife's edge pass. I banked hard left to try and get on his tail but he managed to put his flight path perpendicular to mine which already put me in his sights. He fired a burst from his gun and I rolled over him as he flew past me. I tried to quickly reverse my direction but the enemy pilot was already in position to fire at me again. _This guy knows what he's doing and I'm fighting his fight. He's too maneuverable._ I rolled over the enemy pilot and applied full throttle to gain some distance from him. He tried following but his plane couldn't keep up with me. My only advantages were my plane's service ceiling and speed. I turned back towards the enemy pilot and acquired a missile lock on him. I fired a missile but he launched flares to avoid getting hit. I went vertical to lead him to higher altitude and I looked behind me to see him following me. I was pulling various maneuvers so he couldn't get a clear shot on me but then he figured out what I was trying to do and broke off his attack. I turned my F-15 around and pursued him as he made his way back to lower altitude where he would have the advantage, but I wasn't sure if he knew about Grimm and Chopper. The pilot started to head towards Sea Goblin but I caught up with him just before he could get within missile range and I fired my last missile at him as soon as I had a lock on him. The pilot broke hard right and I turned with him even though I knew I couldn't keep up with him. He continued his right turn and I lag rolled multiple times to keep him in my sights. He broke out of his turn, leveled out, and performed Pugachev's Cobra.

I was amazed that this pilot was able to pull off that maneuver without his plane breaking apart. The forward swept wing of the X-29 already a great deal of stress on them when it was flying normally because the wings would bend at the tips and that maneuver would've stressed the wings to the point that they snapped off. The only way it wouldn't have broken apart during this dogfight was if the wings were reinforced, but if that was the case, then it wouldn't have been this maneuverable unless they reinforced the wings with a stronger and lighter material.

I flew past the enemy pilot and he continued his pursuit of me. I started to break left when I saw the enemy pilot opened fire on me with his gun and I pulled a high G barrel roll while he continued to follow my original flight path. The barrel roll I performed positioned me above and behind the enemy pilot but I didn't expect him to pull up into a climb. I got off a short burst with my gun and hit him a couple times in his fuselage and right wing root. After I scored those hits on him, he continued to climb and loop up and over me. I let him get behind me because I wanted to try and see if he was starting to get desperate. I led the enemy pilot into the vertical and clawed for altitude again. We were quickly approaching fifty-four thousand feet and I continued to push my F-15 to its highest altitude and my pursuer wasn't letting up. He was too focused on me to realize where I was leading him and when we finally broke fifty-six thousand feet, I looked back to see his plane shudder and fall out of the sky in a flat spin stall. I jump on the opportunity and dove on him as he spiraled out of control, but it was a trap. He had put himself into a controlled flat spin stall in the hopes that I would chase after him which I did, but I easily recovered from my mistake. Before I passed him, he put his plane into a dive in preparation for his chase against me but I was quick to try and counter his trap. I cut the throttle, pulled back hard on the stick, and stalled my plane so that its engines' exhaust ports were now pointed directly at the enemy plane. I was less than twenty feet away from him and I applied full throttle. The force of my engines' jet wash blew against the enemy aircraft, causing it to tumble towards the ground out of control. I watched as the pilot struggled in vain to regain control of his aircraft. I circled back around to finally finish off the threat but nature had already beaten me to it. The X-29 started to break apart in mid-air as it continued to fall out of the sky. His weakened right wing was the first thing to break off, followed by the front canards, and finally the cockpit. I was waiting for the pilot to bail out but as I continued to watch him, he seemed to calmly sit inside the cockpit as if he had accepted his fate.

"Jesus, Kid, how do you come up with maneuvers like that? I swear, it's like you've done all of this before and it's scaring the hell out of me," said Chopper.

"I just wing it. That's me flying while I'm annoyed, so you can probably imagine how I fly when I'm pissed off," I said. "Sea Goblin, how far are you to Captain Nagase's position?"

"Four miles," replied Sea Goblin.

"Captain, more enemy fighters are inbound," said Erica.

"Dammit, Sea Goblin, just keep going," I ordered.

"We're gonna have to rely on you on the ground. Pull through for us, alright," said Grimm.

"Roger that, we owe you one from yesterday," said Sea Goblin.

Chopper and Grimm formed up on my wings as we headed for the next wave of enemy fighters. There were only three of them this time and I saw that they were flying Su-35BMs. _If these pilots are half as good as the X-29 pilot, then we're knee deep in trouble now._ The enemy planes had broken formation and we followed their example. I went after the flight lead while Grimm and Chopper went after the wingmen. As I closed in on my target, I saw that he was banking left and right like a snake before it strikes and for some reason, I found myself mirroring his movements. When he banked to his right, I banked to my right and when he banked to his left, I banked to my left. We were still moving together when we finally got within gun range of each other and we pulled up into a vertical rolling scissors. We were both evenly matched in this fight and we continued trying to get behind each other. Eventually, our rolling scissors turned into a continuous canopy to canopy barrel roll. I looked up to see him looking back at me. We were neck and neck with neither one of us gaining the upper hand. It looked like we were performing some kind airshow stunt as we barrel rolled together and we somehow managed to take the fight out of the vertical and into the horizontal. We were losing speed at an alarming rate and I knew it would only be a matter of time before one of us stalled. I had to do something to gain the upper hand and fast, or else I could be the one who ended up dead. As I leveled out at the bottom of one of the barrel rolls, I cut back on my throttle, pulled the air brake, and lowered my flaps all the way. My F-15 slowed down to the edge of stalling and my opponent was now directly in front of me. I fired a short burst into left engine and my canopy got covered with fluids from the enemy plane while my F-15 was getting pelted with debris that fell off of his plane. The enemy pilot applied full throttle, causing me to get caught in his jet wash. My plane shuddered violently and I gripped the flight controls as hard as I could to keep it under control and keep it from crashing. The enemy pilot circled around me in a wide right turn and got behind me while I got my plane back under control. He locked onto me and fired a missile, but it failed to track. _I guess luck was on my side._ He then closed in on me and pelted my left wing with 30mm cannon rounds. _I'll be damned if I'm going to be rescued by Sea Goblin today_. I broke hard left and barrel rolled behind him one last time. He went vertical to try and get away from me, but it only ended up to his biggest mistake. He increased his throttle in the hopes that he could try and out climb me, but he put himself in perfect position for me to shoot him down with my gun and I took the shot. The enemy plane exploded and suspended itself in mid-air for a couple seconds before gravity pulled it back towards the ground.

"Chopper, Grimm, is the area clear of hostile aircraft?" I asked.

"Yes sir, the surrounding area is clear of all enemies," said Grimm.

"Alright, prepare to drop. Don't make her wait any longer, everyone ready? Go," ordered the Sea Goblin Marines.

"Rescue team dropping from the helicopter! I was really worried there for a while."

"You got a towel," asked Chopper. "I need to wipe all this sweat off my brow."

I made my way back towards Sea Goblin to see the rescue team getting out of the helicopter and rush towards Kei. I saw her standing in the opening with her pistol pointed at a group of Yuke Soldiers who we holding their hands in the air. Behind her were the two helicopter pilots that crashed while trying to rescue her. The rescue team quickly approached the Yuke soldiers and took them into custody. One of the Marines had to help Kei lower her gun and I could almost see her hands shaking from adrenaline or the cold. I tried hailing her over the radio but I didn't get a response from anyone, so I didn't bother to try again. As long as I knew that Kei was safe, I was just fine with that. As she boarded the rescue helicopter with everyone else, I saw her look up towards me as circled Sea Goblin at low altitude. _I'm not going to lose you again._

"Say Blaze, I think that time might be perfect for a time like this, you know?" asked Chopper.

"Yeah…. I guess it would," I replied tranquilly and we all headed back towards Sand Island.

**1529hrs Sand Island AFB**

We got back to Sand Island two hours ago and I was still waiting on the flight line for Kei to get back from the FOB, or forward operating base, that she was taken to so she could get a ride back to Sand Island in a transport plane. The others were waiting with me too, hoping to see Kei soon. Kirk was just as anxious because he was lying down next to Grimm and Erica who were sitting on the ground. Justin had finally showed up and told us that he was in the middle of his shower when we were ordered to report to the briefing room this morning. I was sitting on the bench in front of hangers, thinking about what Kei might say to me after I almost made her lose another flight lead. I knew she was going say something about it but I knew what I did was the right thing to do. _My team always comes before me._ As I looked out towards the ocean, I noticed that Kirk had brought his head up in alert. The others noticed Kirk's reaction too and we all sat quietly as we listened intensely. It started out as a faint humming and with each passing second, it grew louder and louder. I reached for my binoculars that I had brought with me and started scanning the sky for the incoming plane. _That has to be Kei._ I finally saw the transport plane approaching Sand Island from the east and start its approach to land on the runway. EMS was already on its way towards the flight line and stop next to the transport plane when it landed. I felt myself tense up and become overwhelmed with the fatigue that I ignored from yesterday up until now, but I had to make sure Kei was alright. I got up off the bench and we all walked over to the transport plane as it came to a stop and powered down.

"You think she's pissed that you tried saving her, Kid," said Chopper.

"If she is, she can bite me," I said.

The side door of the plane opened and a flight officer stepped out to lower the ramp. It seemed like an eternity passed before I finally saw Kei step into view and get off the plane. Her left arm was in a sling and I could see that her arm was bandaged just above her elbow. I could tell she was tired and relieved to be out of enemy territory. The others ran towards her while I stopped two hundred yards away from her because I still wasn't sure how she felt towards me, but then I thought about it again. _There's not much she could do to me. She could say just about anything to me, but I'm worried about the words she'll choose._

I started walking towards her again and saw the others patting Kei on the back and hugging her. They were all happy that she was back and so was I, but I was ecstatic to finally see that she was still on one piece. I continued looking at her as I walked towards them until I saw someone else step out of the plane. I noticed who it was right away and I couldn't believe my eyes. It was my sister, Amanda. I started running towards my sister and Kei looked at me, thinking that I was running towards her and the others. The look on Kei's face suggested that she was almost happy to see me, but not as happy as I would've liked. I walked up to Kei and all I could do was to shake her hand. I could tell that there was nothing that I could say or do to make Kei happy to see me. I swear, she was an enigma and that made it hard for me to read her.

"I glad you're back safely, Captain Nagase," I said as I shook her hand. All Kei could do was nod in return and let go of my hand. I looked into her eyes on last time before I walked past her and made my way towards my sister.

Amanda was beautiful and smart for her age. I had to keep the boys away from her during the one year we were in high school together. Nobody would've ever thought that we were related because everyone thought she was Asian because of her eyes. Amanda ran track, played the flute in marching band, and was a bigger smart ass than I was.

When I finally reached her, I took off my sunglasses and looked at her. She could only look back at me wondering who the hell I was and it took her a couple of second to realize it was me and when she did, she ran up to hug me. The moment was sublime and I could hear Amanda almost choking up as we hugged each other. I was so happy to see her after almost five months of being deployed and her thinking I was dead.

"I thought I'd never see you again," said Amanda.

"I always come back, don't I?" I asked as I let go of her. "Where've you been?"

"The Osean military saw my aptitude scores and offered to pay for my college if I agreed to volunteer six years. I was able to get half of my classes out of the way during my last two years in high school and I finished the rest of them during the past two years. I'm a physician for the Osean military now," said Amanda.

"So what are you doing here?"

"I was ordered to come here to take a look at some people who got the crap kicked out of them yesterday and I got a ride with Captain Nagase who, by the way, refused to let a physician look over her until she got back here," said Amanda.

"Did you talk to her at all?" I asked

"Nah, she slept the whole way back. Why do you ask?"

I looked back at Kei and the others, who were looking at me, wondering who I was talking too. Kei seemed a bit jealous but more pissed off because I was pretty much ignoring her to talk with my sister, but she didn't know that.

"She's….. We're…." I stumbled. I couldn't find the right words to tell my sister that Kei and I were dating because I didn't know what Kei thought about our relationship at this point. "I have a relationship with her and I don't know where it stands right now."

"Really, so you finally moved on from Becca?" asked Amanda as she looked over at Kei. "She's a lot prettier and after everything I've heard about her from the others at the FOB, you can't afford to lose her."

"So you'll help me out?" I asked timidly.

Amanda gave me an annoyed looked and sighed heavily as if she wanted me to fix things with Kei by myself, which I would've done but I didn't know what I would say to her. "Fine, do you want me to make something up or should I be honest?"

"The truth, and thanks, Turtle," I said as I walked back toward the others.

I called my sister 'Turtle' because when she ran track, she would always throw a fit every time she didn't beat her personal record whenever she ran her three miles. I would always tease her about it and she would always tease me about how weird I looked whenever I was practicing my martial arts in the back yard of our house at the time. Amanda walked with Kei to the infirmary so they could get what they needed to do out of the way while I hung back with the others.

"Who was she, Kid? Do you think you could hook me up with her?" asked Chopper as he nudged me.

"Just watch yourself around my sister, alright?" I said.

"That's your sister?!" exclaimed Erica. "She doesn't look anything like you."

"Yeah, everyone tells us that. Now if you'll excuse me I'd like to go to bed now."

I headed towards the barrack but I intended to eavesdrop on Kei and my sister. I discreetly followed them to the infirmary and waited outside in the hallway as they began to perform Kei's check-up. I waited for a few minutes before they actually started talking about things other than medical issue.

"So, do you know Antonio?" I heard Kei ask.

"Yeah, he's my brother and I'm his little sister," said Amanda.

"Really?" asked Kei in shock. "I would've never guessed you two were related."

"Yeah we get that a lot. Everyone thinks that I'm Asian because I have my dad's eyes, but I'm just the same as my brother. Has he told you anything about me?"

"He told me about how he saved you when you were both younger," said Kei, trying to sound considerate.

"Yeah…. He did. I'm surprised that he actually told you that story," said Amanda.

"Why does that surprise you?"

"Anthony…. Do you call him that or Antonio?" asked Amanda.

"Antonio, I never knew people called him Anthony."

"Oh, well anyways, he always seemed to get mad about it every time he talked about that day. But for some reason, I think that whole experience made him who he is today," said Amanda.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, before everything happened, he was never really that open with anyone and spent most of his time in his room. He always kept to himself because he felt like no one would be able to understand him. At least, that's what he told me. But after the two years he was gone and every time he came back for school in the fall, something about him always seemed to change. He started making friends and he even opened up more to others, but he never really talked about that day though. The biggest change that I noticed about him was that he always put others ahead of himself," said Amanda.

"How long after the attack did that change occur?" asked Kei.

"It was his second year of summer camp, even though I'm not sure if it was summer camp. But anyways, there was this one time where he saw this lady getting attacked by this huge ass dog and he ran in to help her."

"What happened?"

"The dog turned on Anthony after he tackled it and then it started attacking him. What really shocked me about the whole situation was that he killed the dog by shoving a stick down its throat and beating its head in with a rock. He didn't have a single scratch on him though," said Amanda. "Then a few weeks later, he helped fight off a group of bullies who were harassing this kid that he didn't even know."

_Dammit, now Kei knows that I lied about my other scar._

"He told me about that too. The kid's name was Mike and the lady turned out to be his mother," said Kei.

"Yeah, so what's your opinion of my brother?" asked Amanda.

"He's a great guy but I worry about him sometimes."

"What worries you?"

"Well, I know he's keeping secrets from me and the rest of the squadron and I get the feeling that there are things about him that we should know but he doesn't want to tell us."

"You like him, don't you?" teased Amanda.

"What? No I just… it's just that I…."

"Oh, come on Captain Nagase, I know how we women think," said Amanda. "You want to trust him and but you think you can't because he hasn't been completely honest with you."

There was a moment of silence between the two of them before I heard Kei whisper to my sister. I had to listen with all my intensity to hear what they were saying. I don't think I've ever had to concentrate this hard in all my life.

"Can you keep a secret?" asked Kei quietly.

"I'll consider it patient confidentiality," said Amanda.

"Alright, your brother and I are dating but I think I should end it with him," said Kei.

I felt my heart sink when I heard her say that and I almost left to head back to my room but then I chose to stay and continue listening. _I have to hope that Amanda can convince her otherwise_.

"Why would you want to break up with him?" asked Amanda.

"Well, a couple days ago I caught him kissing his RIO, Michelle, and I knocked him out," said Kei.

"You didn't even give him a chance to explain, did you?"

"No, but then I heard the other side of the story from his RIO," said Kei softly. "I went to check on him while he was still out cold and I saw Michelle there. She was sitting next to his bed holding his hand and I asked her what she was doing there."

"And what did she say?" asked Amanda

"She said that your brother was seeing her behind my back and that he was using me for a fling. She went on to tell me everything that he said about me and the more she told me, the more hurt I was."

_That bitch! I'm going to intimidate the shit out of her when she gets back here! Wait, does Rockford like me or is she just one of those people who love to start shit?_

"That doesn't sound like something my brother would do," said Amanda. "He'd never do anything like that to his girlfriend."

"But she said that he…"

"Let me tell you something my brother emphasizes to everyone; if you didn't hear him say it, then he didn't mean it. I think after we're done here, you might want to go talk to him before he over thinks your current situation."

"But what if she wasn't lying?"

"Has my brother told you that he loved you yet?"

"Yeah, why," asked Kei.

"Either you believe him so you have nothing to worry about, or you don't and you've already decided," said Amanda.

I couldn't help but smile at what my sister had said to Kei. I felt like I would've screwed everything up if I talked to her first. With the way my sister was talking with Kei, I was convinced that Amanda knew what she was doing and with that I headed off to bed to catch up on some much needed sleep. Once I got to the room, I didn't have enough energy to make it to my bed and I collapsed on the floor. _This feels so awesome._


	17. Desert Arrow

**Chapter 16 – Dessert Arrow**

**November 19, 2010 0547hrs Sand Island AFB**

I was deep in a quiet slumber on the couch in my room. As soon as I was done eavesdropping on Kei and my sister yesterday, I returned here to catch up on some much needed sleep. My fatigue hit me like seven ton truck once I saw Kei step off of the plane that brought her back to Sand Island. The couch in my room wasn't comfortable to sit on but for some odd reason, it was extremely comfortable to sleep on. I was woken up by the sound of the door to the room closing and it startled the crap out of me to the point where I fell off the couch. It was fumbling around in the dark, trying to find the lamp. Once I found it and turned it on, I noticed that I was alone in the room. I quickly ran to the door and opened it to look down the hallway and see if Kei was there, but just like the room, I was the only one there. I went back inside my room and got ready to start the day.

I went for my morning run and all I could think about was Kei. I thought back to the note I wrote on the picture I gave her and I started to wonder if she believed it. The more I thought about it, the faster I ran. I was in a full sprint by the time I was three minutes into my run and I didn't stop. I didn't know why I was sprinting or why the thoughts of Kei drove me to do it but I kept running. The only thing that snapped me out of it was the sound of someone running up behind me. I looked back to see someone jumping and they landed on me, causing me to fall to the ground. I scrambled to get back to my feet but whoever tackled me wasn't letting me get up without a fight. They clung to my back and when I was finally able to get a good enough grip on them, I flipped them over my shoulder and they landed on the ground in front of me.

"Jeez, Anthony, I thought you might've lightened up by now," exclaimed Amanda.

I was surprised to see it was her and I helped her get onto her feet. My sister and I would always go running together every morning when we were younger and she would always outrun me, no matter how hard I tried. Amanda and I got along better than any other siblings that I knew from my old neighborhood and everyone thought it was because the Curtis attack made us closer when in fact, I suggested to her that we should be friends when we were younger. Odd, isn't it?

"Did you have to tackle me like that?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's not every day that I'm able to relive the good ole days with my brother," said Amanda.

"Yeah well, I miss those days too. Anyways, how did things go with Kei?" I asked.

Amanda rolled her eyes when I asked her that and she refused to tell anything because of her oath as doctor and patient confidentiality. No matter how much I begged and pleaded for her to spill it, she refused. I already had an idea of how everything went, but I still wanted to hear it from Amanda. The only thing that she did tell me was that Kei found out the Yukes knew Wardog as the 'Demons of Razgriz' from the group of enemy soldiers that she captured. We continued running together and we caught up on what she's been up too. I was surprised that she was a licensed physician after only four years of medical school but I guess that's just how things worked on Strangereal. Amanda hasn't been able to get a hold of our mother because she didn't want her to worry that she's been deployed to the front lines to help out the troops and that she's been exposed to the dangers of the frontline fighting as well. Finding ways to communicate with loved ones on the frontlines in war is also extremely difficult. I was just as surprised and I was very worried that she'd go back there if she was called upon.

"I can see why you didn't tell mom," I said. "I'd be just as worried."

"Well, how do you think mom and I feel knowing that you might not come back from a mission?"

"Come on, you know I've been trained for all of this. I can take care of myself," I said trying to reassure Amanda.

"Yeah but you also have to worry about the others in your squad too. I know that you'd sacrifice yourself to save them," she said.

She was right and that's what worried her the most. I was one of the only family members she had left in the world and she couldn't afford to lose me. We went to the gym after we were done running and we saw that Kei was in there doing her leg work out. _Damn, that's a nice view_. She had a bandage on her left arm and I had no idea what it was from. I wanted to go up to her and ask her how she was feeling but I didn't know how to talk to her anymore. _Come on, Antonio! You can't sum up the balls to talk to your potentially soon to be ex-girlfriend?_ I decided to make an attempt to talk to Kei today but I was still nervous as all hell. I walked up to her while she was doing he squats and I stood beside her.

"Hey," I said softly and she turned to look at me.

"Good morning, Captain," said Kei.

I felt my heart sink a little when she called me 'Captain' and I couldn't hide it. She knew that she'd been promoted to Captain and that she didn't have to address me as formally as she used to. "How you feeling," I asked.

"I'm fine, a little sore from yesterday but I'm okay for the most part."

"Good, good. I'm really glad you're back in one piece," I said trying to sound caring. I wanted to say more and show Kei that I was really glad that she was back safely but no words came to mind. I also wanted to apologize for what happened the morning she got shot down. "Listen, I just wanted to tell you….."

"You don't have to say anything. I deserved what you did to me and I paid for my mistake during my last mission," said Kei, trying to avoid the subject.

"No, you didn't," I said. "I shouldn't have done any of that to you and I should've been the one who got shot down…."

"Do even go there! How could you try and do that to me?" retorted Kei and I sank my head down. "How could you attempt to sacrifice yourself so that you could save me? Why would you try and force me to break a vow that you know damn well means a lot to me?"

I didn't know how to answer her, nor could I bring myself to look at her. I knew Kei would bring up this subject sooner or later and I knew I'd never be prepared to argue my reasoning good enough for her to understand. I could only hang my head and look away from her. I could only think of one thing to say to her.

"Other than it being one of my responsibilities as a flight lead, why else would I try and save you?" I asked softly and I walked out of the gym. I could've argued with her longer, but it wouldn't have gotten me anywhere so I left it at that. I had to give her some space until she was ready to talk to me again.

**1418hrs**

Michelle and Kyle had returned to Sand Island from leave and I avoided Michelle all day. The base was pretty quiet and some of the ground crews started a game of football on the field between the main runway and the flight line. There was more than enough room for a full on game and everyone who played didn't hold anything back once they heard that we were tackling. The base didn't have any pads or protective sports gear but that didn't stop us from playing rough. I was surprised that no one got seriously injured after the first half with the other team playing as hard as they were. I was clothes lined twice and tackled off sides too many times for me to remember. I was the quarterback for my team, which consisted of Chopper, Grimm, Erica, Kyle, Adam, Mariah, DaVaughn and a couple other people. We were losing by a two touchdowns and my team wasn't holding out so well because of the heat, dehydration, and the physical beating we were taking, but Pops was able to bring us out some water, snacks, and bags of ice from the mess hall so we could take a break from playing.

"I've never been beaten this bad in football before," said Chopper.

"Yeah, because you got Erica and Mariah playing with us," joked Kyle.

"At least they've been able to stop the ball from reaching the in zone, unlike some people who are afraid to get their hands dirty," I said looking at Chopper

"Hey, I fractured my wrist when I was in middle school and as much as we get called on to go off on mission; I don't want to make the brass worry," snapped Chopper.

"Would you rather be grounded because of a broken wrist, or risk your life trying to complete another impossible task the brass set up for us?" asked Erica.

"Hmm, I see your point. Alright guys, I'm going to give the remainder of this game my all. Who's with me?" cheered Chopper and the others grunted in agreement.

"What's going on?" asked a voice from behind.

We all looked back to see Michelle standing behind us in her workout clothes. She was smiling as she looked at all of us and I was trying my hardest not to show how pissed off I was at the sight of her. _Oh God, this is the same feeling I get whenever I see Becca. _I noticed that she was wearing the same kind of workout pants that Kei wore to accent how nice her legs looked, however Michelle's pants made me notice how incredible her ass looked. Chopper noticed that I was staring and nudged me to snap me out of it.

"Kid, you really need to pull yourself together. It's only a matter of time before Nagase gets out here and tries to win you over," whispered Chopper.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked totally befuddled.

"Watch, I give her eight minutes before she decides to join us," said Chopper.

"Who joins who," I asked even more confused.

"Sure, I'll join you," said Michelle.

"Great, maybe we'll be able to pull out a win during the second half," said Chopper.

I was in a state of pure frustration and I was so close to slapping Chopper upside his head for letting Michelle join our team. I was thinking of ways I could royally screw him over and I decided to keep passing the ball to him. We all finished up or halftime snacks and got back on the field where the ball was placed. The other team was twenty-three yards away from our in zone and I honestly didn't care if we won or not. My team was on defense and I was bent on hurting someone and getting some pay back for what the other team had done earlier.

We all set up on the line of scrimmage and took our positions. My focus on the other team's quarterback was so intense that when their center snapped, I had already sacked the quarter back within a couple of seconds of him getting his hands on it. I did this during the first three downs and by the time we had gotten to the fourth down, I managed to drive the ball back nine yards behind the first line of scrimmage. I could tell that Chopper was starting to worry that he might've drove me to the point of seriously injuring someone, and he was right. I was still planning on screwing over Chopper but then I thought about screwing over Michelle at the same time.

It was our turn to run the ball and I took my place behind Adam who was our center. I hiked the ball and started looking for Chopper and Michelle. Chopper was already in the open and Michelle was being covered by two defenders. I was about to throw the ball to her but I couldn't bring myself to do it, so I threw it to Chopper who was able to make his way a couple yards towards the in zone before he was violently tackled to the ground. Mariah quickly ran over to Chopper to make sure he was alright and helped him onto his feet.

"Are you alright?" I yelled.

Chopper was bent over trying to catch his breath before he gave me a thumb's up to let me know that he was alright. _Not good enough_. We all took our places at the line of scrimmage and I waited for the perfect moment to snap the ball but when I looked down, I saw Michelle squatting in front of me, waiting for me to say 'hike'. _Focus, don't look at her! _Michelle looked back at me with that creepy-ass smile of hers and I sarcastically smiled back. I hiked the ball and everyone scrambled to break through the defense. I took a few steps back and my eyes were looking for Chopper and Michelle again, but they weren't in the open. The other team's quarterback made a rush for me and I ducked just in time for him to miss his grab at me and he leaned on me in a way that caused him to flip over me when I stood back up. The quarterback had the wind knocked out of him and I used the moment to try and make a run for it. I saw an opening and ran through as some of the other team members tried grabbing onto me and bring me to the ground but I was able to get through just fine. I ran as fast as I could towards the in zone with the ball in my hands, but just when I thought I was in the clear, someone side swiped me and I fell to the ground hard. As I lay on my back, I tried pulling myself together and figure out who had tackled me. My vision was blurry for a couple seconds and then it cleared up enough for me to see Kei standing over me. _Shit, she's gonna be on me like white on rice._ Kei just continued looking down on me for a couple more seconds before she walked off and asked the other team if she could join and they let her. I was still mad but now I was in a state of confusion and aggravation at what Kei was trying to do.

"I told you she'd come," said Chopper as I made my way back towards the line of scrimmage. "I was a couple minutes off, but she still came."

"Alright, wise ass, what's she going to do next?" I asked.

"Well, she'll either be coming after you or Rockford and take out her frustration on one of you, depending who she most pissed off at."

"And you know this how?" I asked as I got into position.

"I don't know. This is all just theoretical, Kid. I don't know everything," said Chopper.

Michelle took her position in front of me again and I looked at Kei who was livid at the sight of Rockford and I, so I thought I'd test Kei. Michelle snapped the ball into my hands and took off past the defense. Others were in better position but I decided to throw her the ball anyways. Michelle caught the ball and Kei blindsided her with no hesitation. _Holy hell, that was freaking awesome!_ Michelle started rolling on the ground, writhing in pain as Kei got up and walked away. I know how bad it must've hurt but I was trying my hardest to try and hold back my laughter. _Damn, I'm messed up in the head. _Mariah ran over to Michelle to help her to her feet and checked to make sure she was alright. Michelle walked back over to the line of scrimmage and took her position again. She was trying to get me to notice her, and notice her I did.

"The ball is coming your way again, Rockford," I whispered.

Michelle looked back at me in terror when I told her I was giving her the ball and the other team all turned their attention on her. I hiked the ball again but instead of handing the ball off, I decided to run it again when I saw my opening. I managed to make it past the required ten yards before I was tackled by Kei, only this time she wrapped her arms around my waist and spun me to the ground which didn't really hurt, but it did catch me off guard. As soon as I was on the ground, Kei let me got and immediately made her way back towards her team. I was honestly expecting her to at least drop kick me and break a couple of ribs, but I was glad she didn't. I picked myself back up and returned to the others of my team to continue the game. We all huddled to go over the next play and I told them I was going to hand the ball off to Michelle.

"What? Why," asked Michelle.

"Because they're less likely to tackle a girl," I said trying to be smart.

"Yeah but they've got Nagase to worry about that!"

"That's why the rest of us are going to try and give you a clear line to the in zone," I said looking at everyone else on my team.

"Alright, fine, I'll do it," said Michelle and we took our positions.

I shot a glance at Kei who was glaring at Michelle. Adam snapped the ball to me and I handed it off to Michelle. I watched as everything unfolded into chaos as Michelle started to run towards the in zone and Kei started running towards her. My team was trying their hardest to run interference but Kei was too nimble for them. She was side stepping, jumping, and sprinting towards Michelle and when she was within reach, Kei lunged and ran her right shoulder into Michelle's abdomen. I never gave much thought about Michelle because I didn't like her the way I did Kei, but after that last tackle, I couldn't help but worry. I was about to head over and check on her but then I thought about it for a second. If I went over there to check on her, then Kei would probably think I had something with Michelle. If I didn't go, well, then that looks bad on me because Michelle was still a member of my team.

"That's it! I'm done," shouted Michelle as she got up off the ground and threw her hands up as she walked off the field.

"What's wrong, Rockford? Afraid you might break a nail or am I just that much more of a woman than you?" mocked Kei.

"Fuck you, Captain Nagase!" shouted Michelle as she continued to walk off the field.

"Why ya gonna threaten her with a good time?" said Chopper

I was trying hard to keep myself from laughing but I couldn't help it. Michelle looked back at Kei and it seemed like they were about throw down. Kei was smiling back at Michelle because she knew she hit a nerve. Michelle turned back around and started walking towards Kei. Everyone else on the field was on edge, waiting to see what would happen next between the two of them. I was just as curious because I knew if anything happened, I'd have to be the one to break it up and with all the tension between the three of us, things could get out of hand quickly. Michelle stood inches away from Kei's face and I could see that they were arguing about something. Kei had an evil grin on her face and I could tell that Michelle was about to flip out even more.

"Ladies, I'd like to try and finish this game sometime today," I shouted.

They both looked over at me for a couple seconds and then back at each other. I didn't know what they said to each other but they both started running back towards their teams and took their position. We continued the game and Kei and Michelle were at each other throats. They only went after each other and everyone noticed it. Neither of them stayed down after all the hits they took and they just kept on playing. It was the last minute of the game and everyone on both teams were pretty bruised up, but not as badly as Michelle or Kei. Michelle could hardly walk after Kei dove in front of her and knocked Michelle's legs out from under her. Kei, on the other hand, was having a hard time moving her hand after Michelle 'accidentally' landed on it. I could only look at the both of them in awe with all the abuse they've taken and wonder what was driving them. I honestly didn't think it was about me anymore and that it was now about their egos'.

"Are you okay, 1st Lieutenant?" asked Grimm.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I can keep going," said Michelle, breathing heavily.

"Bullshit, you're about to collapse from exhaustion which brings up my next question; why are you and Nagase only going after each other?" asked Chopper.

"Yeah, I've noticed that too, even before you said that you quit, Nagase went after you pretty hard," said Adam.

"Is there something you'd like to share with us, Rockford?" I asked giving her the stink eye and everyone else did the same. Michelle could only look back at us because she knew that we knew there was something going on between her and Kei.

"I don't like her," said Michelle.

"Why not, is it really that important to prove that you're better than her?" I asked.

Michelle looked at me in astonishment and I figured that I hit a nerve. She didn't say anything and turned to walk off the field. Everyone had enough of beating the hell out of each other also, so we all called it a draw. I walked over to Kei to ask if she was alright but she just scoffed and walked off. I was starting to get pissed off with the way she was treating me and I could only stand it for so long. _If she keeps this up, then not only is this going to lead to our break-up, but complications within the squadron._

**November 25, 2010 0530hrs Sand Island Briefing room**

I had practically moved out of my room and left it to Kei because of the way she's been acting towards me for the past five days. Whenever I tried talking to her, she practically brushed me off and it still wasn't clear to me if we had broken up or if we were on a 'break', which to me still meant we broke up. I've been sleeping on the couch in the crew room and no one really seemed to notice that I was always there, but I didn't care if they did. I would've spent the night in one of the other spare rooms that were available but they were occupied by pilots from two other squadrons who were sent to Sand Island to support a major offensive that was planned for today. Yesterday the brass flipped a coin to decide which operation we were going to support like when they decided for us on the 7th when we had to destroy the ammo depots. I wasn't thrilled at all when they told us to call it in the air but it wasn't like we had much of a choice.

The mission for today was to support a major offensive that was going to take place in the Jilachi Desert. A bomber squadron was going to attack an enemy field HQ to the north of the AO while a tank battalion was going to push towards an airfield towards the west. I was put in charge of telling where and how the other squadrons were going to operate. The squadrons that came in the other day were going to help us provide CAS for the entire operation so that we weren't stretched too thin like when we supported Operation Footprint by ourselves at the beginning of the month. The details of this mission reminded me of the time I had to support the ISAF advance through Whiskey Corridor, however this time I wasn't going in alone. Once the briefing was over, Colonel Perrault dismissed us and as I was about to head out the door, he called my name and pulled me aside from the others.

"I know that tensions are high within your group and I honestly don't care what's going on, but I suggest you keep your girlfriend and your WSO in check," said Colonel Perrault.

"I'll take care of it, sir," I said.

"You'd better; otherwise I'll have to find a replacement for them both."

Colonel Perrault let me go and as I headed towards the hanger, I kept thinking about how he knew about Kei being my, for the moment, girlfriend or if he was joking. If he did know, then I was honestly shocked to see that he didn't seem to care. I was even more surprised when I realized that lately, he hasn't been riding my ass about every little screw up I committed. _Is he finally starting to warm up to me or does he know something that I don't?_ It was really starting to make me worry because a couple of my teachers in high school acted the same way. They'd be totally unreasonable for a while and then they'd chill out. But just when I start to like them, they'd completely go ape shit when I'd least expect it, so I expected this from the Colonel.

I met my team in the Hanger and I chose everyone's plane. Kei and I were going to fly our F-15s armed with four sidewinders, four AMRAAMs, and two external fuel tanks. Chopper and Grimm were going to fly their F-18s with two sidewinders, eight AMRAAMs, and an external fuel tank. The other two squadrons were going to fly the two A-10s, two F-22s, and the four Typhoons that they brought with them. As we all waited for the ground crews to arm our planes, I decided to wait outside by myself again while the others got familiar with the other two squadrons. It was still dark outside and the sun wasn't even visible yet. I was sitting on the bench, alone in my thoughts about what we might encounter when I was brought back to reality when Michelle sat next to me and leaned her head on my shoulder. _What the hell is she doing?_

"Did you need something?" I asked as I nudged my shoulder to get her head off of it.

"No, I'm just wondering what you're doing out here alone," she replied.

"I'm thinking."

"What about," asked Michelle.

I didn't say anything and I scooted further down the bench. Michelle only looked at me and she knew I was mad at her for all the drama that's happened in the past week.

"Are you mad at me?" she asked.

"You tell me," I said as I glared at her. "Honestly, what could I be mad about?"

"Alright, I see where you're going with this. Just so you know I did it for your own good."

"How is all of this drama supposed to be for my own good?"

"You know there are regs against fraternizing in the Osean military and you need to be focused on keeping the rest of us alive while we're on mission," she said.

"You don't think I know that? I could be charged with treason if my superiors found out about us, but I still went ahead and had a relationship with her anyways. But thanks to your stupid ass, I might be over between me and her," I said.

"Treason," she asked baffled

"I'm not part of the Osean military. I'm A US Marine assigned to an Osean Tactical Fighter wing until the President merges all remaining forces from Earth with Strangereal's militaries."

"So you'd risk a dishonorable discharge and time in prison for her?"

"Damn straight. She's the only woman who's worth everything to me, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let anyone get in the way of that," I snarled as I glared at her.

"Wow, and you think you can get away with this?"

"You think I won't? I expect for them to find out about it sooner or later and when they do, they won't stop me from loving her."

Michelle looked at me with eyes that suggested that she longed for me. "Why can't I find a man like you?"

"Maybe you're just not looking hard enough," said and I got up to leave. "You're staying here today, and from here on out, you'd better mind your own damn business."

"Alright, fine. I'll stay out of your business," said Michelle.

I was uneasy about her leaving mine and Kei's relationship alone but I had to do something to make sure. I remembered that Kyle had told us that he had a crush on Michelle and I figured I could work with that. But first, I have to find some way for them to get them together. When I got back inside the hanger, I noticed that the ground crews were about to start arming mine and Kei's planes.

"Hold it," I yelled and the ground crews stopped dead in their tracks. "Captain Nagase and I are going to fly single seat F-15s. Please, make it happen."

Everyone looked at me, wondering what I was thinking but then they just decided to do what I said. Kyle seemed pissed off beyond all reason as he headed back towards the locker room and I followed after him. He took off his flight gear and started putting it away when he noticed me.

"A bit upset that I'm not risking your life, aren't you?" I asked.

"That's one way of putting it, why did you switch it up at the last second?" asked Kyle.

"Two reason: One, I didn't want to fly with my RIO today and two, I figured that I'd try to hook you up with her," I said.

"Why me," asked Kyle in confusion.

"Because I know you like her and who knows, she could start to like you."

"But sir…. I can't. I don't even know what to say to her."

"You'll figure something out, but I need you to try and talk with her," I said. _Crap that was a poor choice of words._

Kyle paused for a second and then he looked at me like he knew I was trying to work and angle. "What's going on?"

I was pushing for him to get to know Michelle and I was being palpable about it. I really didn't want to tell Kyle about the situation I was in but if he was going to try and make a move on Michelle, he had to know. I told him about how Kei and I were dating and that I didn't know where I stood with her and how Michelle was involved. He seemed to understand and with a little more of the right kind of persuasion, he actually decided to go for it. That's when Chopper came in, asking what the holdup was.

"Don't worry about it. Is everything ready to go yet?" I asked Chopper.

"Almost, the other squadrons are still loading up but we're all set to go," said Chopper.

"Alright, get the planes out onto the flight line and tell the others to get ready to launch," I said and Chopper headed back towards the hangers. Once he was gone I turned back towards Kyle. "Alright, here's hoping that everything goes well for you."

"Thanks, Captain, I'll see you when you get back" said Kyle and with that, I headed back outside.

**1050hrs Jilachi Desert, Yuktobania**

We rendezvoused with the rest of the allied forces once we arrived in our AO. The desert below was covered with scattered circular crop fields and roads that connected the farming communities together. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky and sun was shining brightly over the area. I was getting a headache just by looking at everything.

"Man, this is ridiculous. I can't believe they chose our next mission with a damn coin again!" cried Chopper.

"This is Thunderhead. Captain Davenport, how many times do I have to tell you to cut the chatter?"

"Thunderhead, this is Razgriz three, roger that," said Chopper sarcastically.

"Alright people, Wardog and half of Nemesis squadron will provide top cover for Viking squadron as they commence their bombing run on the field HQ. The other half, along with Legion squadron will provide CAS for Hawk division as they head towards the airfield," I ordered over the radio.

Everyone acknowledged and we all split up. The two F-22s from Nemesis squadron joined our formation and we all climbed to 17,000 feet to provide top cover for the B-52s. They were flying at 15,000 feet and they changed their heading to start their bombing run. The thing I liked about these bombers was that they kept the tail gunners, unlike the US military back on Earth.

"Nemesis element to Wardog leader, sorry we haven't introduced ourselves yet. I'm Volt and this is my wingman, Marauder. It's great to finally fly with ya'll."

"Likewise, Volt, we'll try to leave you some fighters to shoot down if we run into any," I replied.

We held in formation above the bombers as we continued towards the target. Chopper started talking about how he wanted to fly an F-22 for the next mission. I actually considered it for this mission but with the unreliable oxygen system and its small payload, I decided against it. The guys from the Nemesis element said that their ground crews were able to correct the problem and I asked them if they could send the information to the ground crews at Sand Island. Even though I didn't trust the F-22, I had to admit that it was extremely fun to fly.

"Blaze, this is Birdy, I got multiple enemy contacts dead ahead. They're headed straight for the bombers."

I looked at my radar and spotted the blips on the screen. There was a small formation leading a larger formation and I could tell what their strategy. The leading formation was going to try and draw us away from bombers and clear the way for the larger formation. _I have to plan this carefully._

"Edge, Chopper, prepare to engage the first formation. Nemesis flight, use your stealth advantage to attack the larger enemy formation from above and behind. Grimm, you and I will hold formation and stave off any enemies who break through. All weapons are free," I said.

"I hate to be thinking like this, but I can't help feeling like we're being used again…" said Chopper.

I knew Chopper was talking about the brass and I could see his point. _Everyone in the military is being used. _This operation was just another attempt to force Yuktobania into submission through this war of attrition. Chopper and Kei bounced the first enemy formation from above but they broke off to lure Chopper and Kei away from the bombers. As I looked at my radar I saw the larger enemy formation starting to break off in all directions as a result of Nemesis's surprise attack. Grimm and I held formation as we continued to watch everything unfold into a fur ball. I could see the explosions of the enemy planes in the distance and eventually the radar started to clear up of enemy radar signatures but then I noticed a pair of blips that were heading our way at high speed. They had to be MiG-31s because no other Yuktobanian airplane could move that quickly.

"Nemesis fight, I'm picking up two enemy radar signatures headed for the bombers at high speeds. Break off and intercept them before they get to the bombers. We'll take care of the other enemy fighters," I said.

Volt and Marauder both broke off to engage the MiGs and I saw the remaining enemy radar signatures rejoin formation and head back towards the bombers. I wanted to maintain our altitude and get the jump on them from above, but that would give them enough time to get within missile range of the bombers. I had to make sure that Viking squadron got to their target with minimal casualties.

"Grimm, maintain altitude and go on ahead. I'll meet these guys head on and once I shoot down the first enemies I see, attack them from above," I said.

I dove down in front of the bombers and sped on ahead. The first enemy fighters got within range of my AMRAAMs and once I had tone, I fired all four of my radar guided missiles at them. I saw the blips on my radar scatter and a few second later, I saw four of them vanish. I continued to watch my radar and saw that another four blips disappear. _Nice work, Grimm._ As Grimm continued to dive into the formation, the enemy planes broke formation and started chasing him.

"Edge, Chopper, I need you both back here to cover these bombers. I need to help Grimm," I said.

"Hang on, Kid, we're on the way," said Chopper.

I sped forward and got within visual range of the enemy formation and saw that they were all gunning for Grimm. He had four Su-27s following him through his hard twists and turns. I could heard Erica breathing heavily as she tried to stay conscious through all the maneuvering. I latched onto the trailing enemy plane and followed him into a descending spiral that Grimm had led them into.

"Grimm, put that thing into a split S and continue your evasive maneuvering from there," I said.

Grimm rolled over and performed a slip S with the enemy fighters followed him through with me close behind. I was able to pull enough lead on trailing enemy plane and fill his left engine with enough lead to send him into an uncontrollable spiral towards the ground. The next enemy fighter in line pulled into a climb and tried to throw me off by rolling so I couldn't get my gun to bear on him, but I was able to send a missile up his tail pipe with ease. _Two down, two to go._ I continued following the enemy planes that were tailing Grimm. They were slowly gaining the advantage over him and I had to do something. Grimm pulled into a hard left turn and gave me a window of opportunity to clear his tail. I fired a short burst into the lead plane's right wing and he broke off. I continued to chase the last enemy fighter but he eventually broke off from Grimm's tail too. I looked behind me to see the lead Su-27 chasing me. I didn't waste any time trying to shake him by pulling into climbing left spiral and then nosing over into a descending spiral after one roll at the peak of my climb. I then quickly reversed my direction and barrel rolled into position behind the enemy flight lead. _I can't believe that worked. I'll call that move the 'sewing needle'_. I was following the enemy plane as he tried jinking unpredictably so that I couldn't get a bead on him. He finally tried to shake me by pulling Pugachev's Cobra, but I didn't think he expected me to pull the same maneuver and fly wingtip to wingtip with him. Nor was I expecting his plane to burst into flames while we were suspended in the air like that. As I came out of the maneuver, I saw Grimm's F-18 shoot past me and loop up and over and fly into position on my right wing.

"Nice shot, Grimm. I was wondering where you went," I said and we both headed back towards the bombers.

We saw Nemesis element streak by and head back towards the bomber formation to continue their escort. Chopper and Kei were already in the middle of the bomber formation waiting for the rest of us to join on them, but just as Grimm and I were about to join the formation, we got an urgent request for help from Hawk Division. _Shit, we're going to get stretched too thin._

"Volt, take Marauder and help those guys out. We'll radio you if we need help," I said.

They both peeled off and headed for the Tank Battalion while Wardog maintained formation. The bombers tightened up their formation and I assumed more enemy fighters were inbound. I kept my head on a swivel but I couldn't see anything. The sun was too bright and I felt like my tinted visor wasn't doing enough to keep the glare out of my eyes so I pulled out my sunglasses again and put them on under my helmet.

"Kid, those things are going to get you killed if you keep wearing them while we're on mission," commented Chopper.

"Well, at least I'll be able to see my death coming," I said sarcastically.

"Uh, Captain, I got more enemies on radar. They're headed this way," said Justin.

"Dammit," I said under my breath. "Chopper, Grimm go high and engage the enemy fighters. Edge, we're going to engage them head-on so stay close."

Chopper and Grimm both broke off to gain altitude while Kei and I pushed on ahead. We were closing on the formation of twelve enemy SU-35 BMs and MiG-35s pretty fast and I acquired a lock on one of the enemy planes. The pilot I was aiming at popped his flares too soon and I was able to send a missile his way with less interference from the flares, but they forced my missile to pitch up and sail through the canopy of the enemy MiG but it didn't explode. When the MiG rolled over into a dive, I assumed what happened to the pilot and it made me sick to my stomach when I thought about it. Kei fired a missile at one of the other enemy fighters and blew it to hell and back. I was expecting the enemy formation to scatter and engage us from multiple directions, but they didn't and they continued towards us.

"Blaze, we won't be able to move out of the way in time," shouted Kei.

"We don't have a choice, just blow on through," I said.

The enemy formation closed in on us and opened fire on us with their guns and missiles. They flew by us inches away from our planes and just as we were about to fly by each other, more of the enemy fighters burst into flames as a result of Grimm and Chopper's attack. _I'm glad that worked. _We quickly dispatched the remaining enemy fighters and as I filled another Su-35s with bullets, I noticed small black plumes of smoke surround us in the sky. _Where did all this flak come from?_

"This is Viking 1; we're taking too much fire from below. It's only a matter of time before they land a lucky enough hit on one of us."

I started to scan the ground, trying to find out where the AA defenses were but all I could see were the circular crop fields scattered on the ground. I pulled out my binoculars and started scanning the crop fields and spotted a single flak gun in the middle of one of the fields. I nosed into a dive and strafed the field. The incendiary ammo from my gun blew up the ammo stockpile and ignited the surrounding vegetation. I saw the Yukes on the ground trying to escape the flames but they were soon surrounded and started suffocating from the smoke. _I hope they have another way of escaping a death like that._

"Wardog, I'm detecting another formation of enemies coming from the north. Intercept them before they get to the bombers," said Thunderhead.

"Wardog, Hawk Division is in some serious shit over here. They're taking heavy losses from air strikes and we're too tied up with enemy escort fighters to do anything about it. We need support over here!" shouted Volt.

_Shit, what do I do? We're already stretched too thin. _I was having one of the biggest dilemmas of my career as a fighter pilot and this choice wasn't easy to make. If sent some more people to help the tank battalion, then the bombers would easier for the enemy planes to pick off. If Wardog held its position, then the Hawk Division will be wiped out.

"Chopper, Edge, Grimm, get over there and help them out," I said defeated.

"But what about you, Kid?" asked Chopper.

"I'll be alright. Just get over there and help out Legion and Nemesis squad. I'll hold back here and protect the bombers."

"But, Blaze…" began Justin.

"I don't want to hear it. Just go!"

"I feel like a waiter taking orders in a packed restaurant," muttered Grimm.

"Yeah someone please put some roller skates on my feet," replied Chopper

I saw my teammates' planes break away from the bomber formation and head for the allied ground forces as I continued to make my way towards the enemy formation. My mind was racing when I saw them come into view and for some reason I was expecting to hear Michelle scream at me for trying to involve her in what she would think was another one of my 'suicide attempts'. I was gripping my necklace as I said a small prayer and prepared myself for a hard fight. I barreled through the enemy formation and pulled into an Immelmann turn to engage them. I counted six enemy fighters and I engaged the first MiG-29 that I saw. He didn't see me diving on him and I unloaded a barrage of bullets into his right wing which caught fire and forced him to break off his attack. I looked behind me to see three of the remaining MiG-29s following me closely as I pulled into a climbing right turn. I wasn't as concerned about them as I was about the other two that I couldn't see. I came out of the climbing turn and pulled into a series of hard left and right turns, trying to shake my pursuers while I was looking for the other two MiGs. I finally saw one of them heading for the trailing B-52 and the tail gunner open fire. I rolled over and dove on the MiG. At the speed I was going, along with the short distance between me and him, I only had a split second to line my target up and fire on him so I could still try to evade the enemies on my tail, but somehow I was able to land a couple hit in the cockpit and stop his attack. As I continued to dive past him, I pulled up into a climb and saw the other MiG firing on one on the B-52s. The bomber was trailing smoke from two of its inner most engines on the right wing. I started to put my F-15 in to a climbing spiral towards the MiG and I brought my gun to bear on him. I was losing airspeed rather quickly and I would soon be in perfect position for my attackers to shoot me down._ I'll worry about that later._ I put the MiG in my gun sight and opened fire on his plane. My bullets must've punctured his fuel tanks because the MiG disintegrated in midair, but then I realized the danger I was in from in front and behind. The remnants of the enemy plane started falling towards me and I applied full throttle to my plane to try and gain some kind of maneuverability so I could get out of the way. _Come on girl, move!_ I was finally able to gain enough speed to maneuver out of the way of the falling debris, but one of my pursuers wasn't paying attention. As I watched the flaming wreckage of the MiG fall past me, I saw one of the enemy pilots who was chasing me, slam into it. The other two MiGs broke off their attack and separated from the fight. I continued to watch them as they flew away and circled back to attack the bombers again. _Not this time._

"Viking 1, what's your ETA to your target," I asked.

"Approximately five minutes. Don't let us down, Blaze."

_Thanks for the vote of confidence, asshole._ I got into position behind one of the remaining MiGs and I could tell that this guy was scared because of the way he was flying. He would pull all these unpredictable high G maneuvers that would quickly exhaust any pilot. Most of them were negative G maneuvers and those were even worse than positive G maneuvers. I wasn't really even following him. I was flying far enough behind him to give him the illusion that I was glued to his tail but I was actually flying lazily after him. It wasn't until the pilot leveled out from an inverted barrel roll that I decided to shoot out his right engine. I pulled up alongside the MiG and I could see the pilot struggling to bail out. I could see that he was trying to blow the canopy off, but it wouldn't come off. I could see the fear in his eyes as he looked at me, hoping that by some miracle, I would help him. _Mercy is what makes us human. _I pulled out my flash light and signaled him in Morris code to duck inside his cockpit and I could tell that he was surprised that I was trying to communicate with him, but he did what I asked. I flew ahead of him so that my wingtip was right by his canopy and then I nudged it hard enough to break it off. The Yuke pilot lifted his head up and realized what I had done. I looked at the pilot one last time and I glared as I saluted him. No sooner did I peel away from him did the final MiG try and bounce me from above. I snap rolled to the right and the MiG shot past me. I dove after him and tried acquiring a missile lock but he was maneuvering too violently for my missile to successfully track the enemy plane so I had to use my gun but even that was going to be challenging. The Yuke pilot would turn hard in one direct and then quickly reverse directions just when I almost had him in my sights, but he screwed up when he tried barrel rolling over me. His maneuver cost him a significant amount of air speed which I was able to take advantage of. After I shot passed him, I pulled into Pugachev's cobra to bleed off my airspeed and lure the Yuke pilot into a trap. As I expected, he tried to maintain his position behind me by slowing down even more and his plane nosed forward into a stall. I came out of the cobra and dove after the MiG for the last time. He was in a flat spin stall and I noticed that he wouldn't able to pull out in time. The pilot ejected and I peeled away to head back towards the bombers. Everything seemed calm for now but I knew it wouldn't stay that way for long.

"Wildcat, I need a sit rep. What's going on over there?" I asked.

"Everything's going smoothly on our end. Hawk Division is five miles away from their objective and the remaining enemy forces are starting to fall apart," said Justin.

"Good job, everyone. Wardog, if things are settled enough, regroup on me," I said. "Thunderhead, are there anymore enemies on long range radar?"

"Negative, Blaze. The skies are clear for now."

I rejoined the bombers and looked over the B-52 that was trailing smoke from two of its engines. The damage didn't look that bad and the bomber seemed like it could make it back to the secondary base we were supposed to land at to refuel for our return trip to Sand Island. All the bombers were accounted for and I was surprised that they were all still able to push towards their target. I looked ahead and saw the Yuktobanian Field HQ come into view.

"Target in sight, Viking squadron assume attack formation and open bomb bay doors," said Viking 1.

I flew to higher altitude so that I didn't interfere with the bombing run and the rest of my team soon rejoined me. The bombers were almost in position to drop their payload but then they came under heavy AA fire.

"Wardog, we're going to have to run interference for the bombers. Try and take out some of those AA guns if you see an opportunity," I ordered.

We all dove for the deck and headed towards the Field HQ. I could see the ground troops scattering on the ground, trying to save themselves from Viking squadron's imminent bombing run. Once we were over the Field HQ, I ordered my team to disperse and strafe the AA positions. The troops on the ground started throwing up small arms fire and RPGs at us. We were all trying to weave through everything while trying to avoid crashing into each other at the same time.

"This is Viking 1, bombs away!"

We peeled away from the Field HQ as Viking squadron's bombs rained down on their target area. I looked back to see the bombs impact the Field HQ and explode into brilliant flashes light and huge plumes of black smoke that would put Michael Bay to shame. The soldiers on the ground were being flung all over the place as a result of the shockwaves. Everything looked gruesome down below with the soldiers bleeding out all over the ground. I wish I didn't have to take part in things like this but I knew what I had to do in order to end this war. _I thought the president would've peacefully ended the war by now, why hasn't anything been done?_

"Direct hit on enemy HQ. Repeat, confirmed bull's-eye on enemy HQ!" exclaimed Kei.

"This is Viking 1, bombing run on Field HQ complete. No point in sticking around. Let's go home."

"Wardog, this is Nemesis squadron, we're low on fuel and need to RTB. You and Legion squad are all that's left," said Volt.

"Copy that, do you think you could escort the bombers out of the area first?" I asked. 

"Will do, Blaze. Take care," said Volt.

"Alright, Wardog, let's head over and help out Hawk Division," I ordered.

We broke away from the bomber and headed for the ground forces. The flight over towards the ground forces was a small breather for all of us and it gave me a chance to realize how hot it was. The sweat on my forehead was dripping into my eyes and seeping into my oxygen mask. I took off my oxygen mask and my sunglasses to wipe the sweat off my face. I was about to remove my helmet to wipe the sweat off from the rest of my head, but then I remembered that the engines were on. _Now I remember why I hated flying in the desert. And why doesn't this F-15 have air conditioning?_ I was really missing the plane I flew for most of my missions while I was working with ISAF and I really wanted to be flying it right about now so that way I could stay cool while I was flying for my life. I took off my flight gloves, rolled up the sleeve of my flight suit, and wiped the sweat off the inside of my oxygen mask.

"I feel like I'm in a sauna. I've probably lost a good gallon of sweat by now," said Chopper. "I'm going to petition the Osean military to install climate control in all combat vehicles."

"Why should we get special treatment when guys on the ground don't?" I pointed out.

"The desert heat is robbing the ground forces of their mobility," said Kei.

"Will we complete the mission in time at this pace?" asked Grimm.

"I doubt it. We'll probably run out of fuel before the ground forces complete their objectives," I said.

We increased our throttle and sped towards the ground forces. They were still a ways off from the airfield and they were still prone to enemy attacks. I was really starting to wish that we had some way to carry more ordinances on our planes. If the engineers were somehow able to shrink the sizes of missiles and bomb but retain their lethality, I would've been totally okay with that. Plus that would've been so awesome. But we barely had any weapons left and I was afraid we'd run out of ammo completely before the mission was over. I was down to two sidewinders and my gun while everyone else was down to one or two missiles each and their gun. _This day just continues to suck._ We joined Legion Squadron as they flew further ahead of us to scout for more enemies.

"Can you find your brother's position on the battlefield, Grimm?" asked Chopper.

I had forgotten that remnants from the 1st and 2nd Army Battalions from Operation Footprint were taking part in this operation as well. I was glad that they made it this far in the war, but part of me knew it came at a cost. I couldn't help but think about how many people didn't make it up to this point and I started wondering about Grimm's brother. _What did he think of all this?_

"Sir, we can't pick favorites. Everyone down there needs our help," said Grimm.

"Fine, then everyone down there's your brother," said Chopper.

I wasn't expecting a response like that from Grimm, but I could understand his point. Knowing myself however, I would've probably tried protecting my sister if she was down there. We spotted more enemy fighters headed our way and Legion squadron engaged them. They were good and I felt my ego die a little as we watched them fight. I felt like I had to show them how Wardog took care of things but covering the ground forces took priority.

"Thunderhead to Wardog, I'm detecting another enemy formation heading towards the ground forces from the north. Intercept them before they do any more damage to Hawk Division."

"Edge, you're with me. Chopper, Grimm, stay here and protect the ground forces in case any enemies brake through," I ordered and they all acknowledged.

Kei and I got within visual range of the enemy formation and saw that it was a formation of unescorted Tu-95s. Kei engaged the trailing element while I attack the lead bomber and his wingman. I dove below the bombers, reversed my direction, and climbed to engage my target from below. I targeted the bomb bay with my gun and fired on it, causing the Tu-95's payload to go off. I was a couple hundred yards away, but the explosion was enough to rock my plane and the other bombers enough for us to fight and regain control of our aircraft. I saw one of the other bombers' wing bend violently but it didn't break off. It was bent upward but somehow the bomber was still airworthy and was staggering lazily to the right. I could tell the pilot was trying to maintain control by the way the ailerons, elevators, and rudder were positioned, but the pilot wasn't able to do much else. I disengaged the bomber and watched as Kei followed my example by targeting the bomb bays of the last two bombers. Only the crippled bomber was left and I saw that the crew bailed out. _At least those guys are safe. _

"Why did you let those guys go?" asked Kei.

"Who are they going to kill?" I replied and I turned to head back towards the ground forces.

Chopper and Grimm were still holding formation over the ground forces as they continued speeding towards the airfield. We were finally within visual range of the objective and Legion squadron started to strafe the aircraft that were parked on the runway. I didn't know how these guys were able to keep up the pressure like this but it was impressive. I even started to wonder why we haven't heard of these guys before.

The ground forces had finally reached the airfield and I could see the soldiers pouring out the back of the APCs and storm their objective. The Yuke soldiers setting up defensive positions and started firing on our allies. We didn't waste any time trying to thin out enemy resistance by performing strafing runs on enemy positions. The Yuke soldiers scattered in disarray which made it easier for our ground troops to dispatch them. I could see the remaining Yuke pilots on the ground trying to make a run for the remaining planes that were parked on the flight line, but we disabled the fighters before they could strap themselves in. The attack on enemy airfield turned into a turkey shoot and our ground force soon took over the area.

"You're the same as ever, huh, Nagase. Nothing ever gets you down," remarked Chopper.

"Yeah….. Thanks," said Kei sarcastically.

I didn't know what Chopper meant by that because Kei's flying didn't seem that different than usual. Our synergy might've been a little off but we were still able to carry out our mission with no problems, until we got a mission update from Thunderhead. Another large formation of enemy aircraft was detected entering our AO and Thunderhead was able to determine that it was a pair of enemy AWACSs accompanied by tankers and more fighter escort. Their objective was to establish air superiority over the area and repel our forces back. I figured it wouldn't take us long to sort everything out with Legion Squadron helping us out.

"Wardog, this is Legion 1. We're low on fuel and ammo; we're not going to be able to do much good out here anymore."

_Dammit. _Legion squadron broke off and headed back towards their base. We were all that was left and I called for a weapons check. I only had two missiles left and I was running low on ammo for my gun. I had less than a hundred rounds left and that wasn't enough to damage a tanker or an AWACS, but we didn't have much of a choice. We all pressed forward towards the enemy formation and within minutes, we had visual on the enemy planes. I ordered us to split up into two elements with Kei being my wingman. The AWACS and tankers were escorted by MiG-29s, MiG-31s, Su-27s, and Su-35s. We all met head on and flew through the enemy formation as they fired on us. I banked right to try and engage one of the tankers, but three of the escort fighters were already tailing Kei and I. Kei didn't break formation because she knew that I'd still be in trouble if she did.

"Edge, keep going while I clear our six," I said but she didn't reply.

I didn't bother repeating myself because I've just about had it up to here with her. I pulled the airbrake and barrel rolled behind Kei and the three enemy planes that were chasing us. Once I was behind them, I quickly filled the cockpit of the trailing plane with a short burst from my gun and watched his plane roll over and head for the ground. I didn't waste any time latching onto the next enemy plane and filling his left engine with another burst from my gun and send him into a left spiral, trailing black smoke and fire. I was about to fire on the last enemy plane when Kei pulled my favorite maneuver to get into position and steal the kill. _That moron! _

The only reason I told Kei to keep going while I cleared her six was because I knew there would be more enemy fighters on our tail after I took care of the first three planes that were chasing us. Then I would've ordered Kei to clear the next group of pursuers, but when Kei maneuvered behind the last enemy plane, she had made herself a perfect target for another group of enemies to attack her. _Alright, I've had it with her, this is strike one._ I looked behind us to see three more enemy fighters diving on us and I quickly flew behind Kei's plane to draw them off. _If she got shot down now, then I'd be the next one to go. Then Chopper and Grimm would soon follow._ I dove for the deck with all three of the enemy fighters chasing me. As I leveled out, I was turning too hard for them to get a lock on me and I started looking for a way to get away from them but I couldn't do it without Kei's help.

"Edge, get over here and clear my tail," I said urgently.

I looked back to see Kei's F-15 dive towards me, but she was coming too fast. She was going to overshoot and miss her only shot to clear my tail. _Maybe I could still use this to my advantage._ I hit the afterburners and gained as much speed as I could, but it gave them a perfect chance to fire on me with a missile. I had intentionally put myself in this position in the hopes that Kei would try to pass in front of them and distract them long enough to make my move. I continued to watch as Kei swooped in and targeted the flight lead. _Perfect!_ Kei fired a burst from her gun and managed to hit him a couple times before she flew past him. I seized the opportunity and hit full right rudder while snapping the stick to the left. I was still heading in the same direction from when I leveled out but my nose was pointed fifteen or twenty degrees to the right of my flight path. I had executed a skid and it set me up to perform a barrel roll that would allow me to dive away from my pursuers while making it impossible for them to mimic. I performed the maneuver and dove for lower altitude to catch up with Kei, but she quickly reversed direction and started climbing towards the enemy AWACS. I pulled into a super high G turn that was enough to make my wings buckle a little and I had to strain to keep myself conscious because my G suit didn't do much good in a ten G turn. _Damn, that felt great. _

"Chopper, are you alright?" asked Kei.

I looked back to see Chopper trying to follow my maneuver to try and clear my tail while Grimm cleared his six. I was getting jealous that they were more cooperative than me and Kei, but I guess I was partially to blame because I did pair myself with her. I needed her to get her act together so that way we could all live to see the end of the war together.

"I guess I'm more delicate than I thought. I was fading out for a while there… but I'm still good," said Chopper.

"You sure," I asked.

"I'm alright, Kid. I might not be as tough as you but I'm still able to fly."

I turned my attention back towards Kei who was attacking the tanker from below. One of the escort fighters was in the middle of refueling as Kei attacked it. She fired a stream of bullets into the main fuselage of the tanker and managed to sever its hose. Jet fuel started spraying out of the tanker and it left cloud of the flammable liquid suspended in midair. I waited for Kei to get clear of the tanker before I made my move. One of the enemy AWACSs was flying within close proximity to the tanker, along with several other escort fighters. Once Kei was clear of the enemy formation, I fired a burst from my gun into the cloud of fuel and watched it ignite. The tanker was the first plane to become engulfed in flames, followed by the refueling escort fighter. The AWACS was also caught in the explosion and the second AWACS tried flying through the cloud of flames. After a few second of in disappearing into the fire, I thought that it was destroyed as well, but I saw it emerge from the smoke cloud, covered in dark ash.

"Man, Kid's skills are well beyond my reach already," said Chopper.

"It's not that hard, you just have to be faster than the other guy," I replied.

"Yeah, like this," said Grimm as he unloaded his gun into an SU-35 and executed Pugachev's Cobra to get behind another plane that was pursuing him. Grimm came out of the cobra and sent his last missile into the enemy plane's fuselage.

"Not bad. Aren't you glad I taught you everything you know," said Chopper.

"Well, maybe half of everything," said Grimm.

"Wait, so what about the other half? HEY!"

"Focus people. We're not out of the woods yet," I said.

We all regrouped in formation, but I noticed that Kei was missing. _Where is she?_ I hailed her over the radio but she didn't answer. We all started scanning the sky and Grimm spotted her flying against a custom painted white and light blue MiG-31 that was running circles around her at high altitude. _How was he able to fly an interceptor like that?_ He was outmaneuvering Kei like he was flying a Su-37 and I knew it would only be a matter of time before this pilot was able to corner her. I ordered Grimm and Chopper to take out the enemy AWACS while I helped out Kei. I climbed up to meet them and got within gun range as the MiG got into position for a missile shot on Kei. I fired my remaining gun ammo at him and saw my bullets strike the right air intake. The pilot broke off his attack and sped away out of range. I didn't bother chasing him because I wouldn't be able to catch him.

"What are you doing? I was about to shoot him down," exclaimed Kei.

_That's strike two._ I didn't bother answering her because I knew she was wrong. With the way MiG pilot was flying, Kei would've been shot down again and I wasn't going to let that happen. I looked on ahead and saw the MiG turn around and head back towards us. I tried locking onto him with one of my last two missiles, but I wasn't fast enough. I pulled into an Immelmann turn and the MiG pilot pulled the same move. When I reversed direction, I noticed that we were in an inverted rolling scissors and I couldn't help but think that I was falling into a trap. He couldn't hold this maneuver without him stalling first and any experienced pilot knew this, but he wasn't slowing down. In fact, he was gaining altitude and speed the more I followed him. I continued chasing him past 65,000 feet and I had no intention of letting up. He was too far for a missile lock but I figured that I should still try to keep my position behind him, but then I felt my plane shudder violently. _Shit, that's what he was doing._ He led me to higher altitude so that I would stall and I started cursing myself because I should've known better than to follow him into this kind of fight. I fell for it when Yellow 13 pulled the same trap and I told myself I wasn't going to fall for it again, but I did. My F-15 began to fall out of the sky and it took me five, agonizing seconds for me to recover. I dove for the ground but the MiG pilot was closing in on me at high speed. I snapped the stick into my gut, after I turned off the angle of attack limiter, and forced my plane into another stall. The MiG shot past me but not before he landed a couple hits on me with his gun. I nosed forward and started chasing him as he dove for lower altitude but I broke off and kept my eye on him as I held position at higher altitude so that way I could keep my speed up and stay with him, but he made the mistake of trying to climb up to meet me. I dove on him and I acquired a missile lock on him, but before I could fire it at him, he burst into flames just seconds before I saw Kei shoot past me and do a Victory Roll. _Well, at least the threat is gone. _

"Chopper, did you take out that AWACS yet?" I asked.

"We're out of ammo, Kid, and I'm not looking to ram my plane into this sucker to shoot him down," said Chopper.

I was fed up with this entire operation and the lack of other available allied aircraft. I only had two missiles left and knowing AWACSs, they'd easily be able to thwart my attack. I lined up behind the enemy plane and fired one of my missiles at it. The AWACS launched a set of flares and threw off my missile's guidance system. I locked on again and fried my last missile, hoping the pilot wouldn't be able to react in time, but he did. Another set of flares was launched and now we were all out of ammo. I could feel everyone's frustration and I wasn't in the mood to stay on station any longer. I pulled in front of the AWACS so that my engines were pointed directly at the plane's cockpit. I looked in my rear view mirrors and saw the cockpit glass shatter and the pilots shield their faces with their arms. I didn't want to do what I had to do to bring down this plane but I didn't have any other choice. I hit my afterburners and the heat from my engines literally cooked the Yuke pilots alive. I wanted to throw up the more I thought about what I had just done and I knew that this would be another moment in war that I wanted to forget. I had gained some more distance from the enemy AWACS and I looked back to see it's left wing dip down and fall out of the sky.

"I'm telling you, Kid can single handedly turn the tide of this war. It's almost scary," said Chopper.

"I've done it before," I muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing, let's just get back to the rally point so we can refuel and head back to Sand Island," I said and we all headed out of the AO.

**1208hrs Allied Controlled Yuke airfield**

We arrived at a Yuktobanian airfield that was under the control of our allies, not far from our AO. It was still located in the Jilachi Desert which meant that we had to deal with the heat a little while longer. Air Command couldn't get a tanker to us so they ordered us here to refuel and relax a little before he headed back towards Sand Island. We parked our planes on the flight line and started walking towards one of the buildings to grab some chow while the ground crews worked on our planes, but as Chopper started talking about the day's events, I noticed how Kei just seemed vexed when he mention the last enemy pilot that she had shot down. I was walking behind the rest of them and I was glaring at Kei through my aviators as I continued to listen to what was being said.

"Kid would've had that ace if Nagase hadn't interrupted the fight," said Chopper.

"Well, Nagase was having a hard time keeping up with that enemy pilot before Castillo got involved," said Justin.

"I would've won without his help," said Kei.

I stopped dead in my tracks because her remark was the last straw for me to tolerate. She was full of shit when she said that and she knew it. It was one thing to try and shake off the thought that she was about to die but she was fooling herself into thinking that she could've gotten out of that situation alive. I grabbed Kei's arm and started walking towards one of the empty hangers close to the flight line.

"Let go!" said Kei sternly and the others turn around to look at us.

"Get the hell out of here," I barked as I glared at the rest of my team.

No one said anything because they could tell that I was mad. I continued to drag Kei towards the hanger and when we got there, I turned her towards me and let go of her. I was fed up with her attitude and I was going to straighten her out, even if she finally decided to tell me that it was over between us. I snatched off my sunglasses to reveal just how mad I was.

"Look, I know that you and I aren't on the best terms right now but the least you could do is acknowledges that I saved you ass today," I said.

"I didn't need your help and I'd appreciate it if you weren't so worried about me," retorted Kei and she turned to walk away.

_That's strike three._ I grabbed Kei's shoulder and she turned around to shove my hand off of her. I grabbed her arm again and forced her against the hanger wall to show her just how I wasn't done with her yet. Kei tried shoving her way past me but I forced her against the wall again. She finally realized that I wasn't going to let her go and she didn't bother looking at me, but I really didn't care if she did. All I wanted her to do was listen to what I had to say.

"I want you to get one thing straight, Captain Nagase. I am your flight lead and it's my job to look out for you and the others just like they look out for me and you! I've lost count of how many times you've ignored my orders or did something that endangered yourself or the others and I'm fucking tired of it!" I shouted. "If you don't want to be a part of this team anymore, then just say the word so that I can transfer you to another squadron and get someone more reliable to watch out for the rest of the team!"

"How about you rotate yourself out so that way I don't have to deal with a light lead that's untrustworthy," snapped Kei.

I was appalled that she accused me of being untrustworthy and she could see just how shocked I was. Sure, I didn't tell my team who I really was and there were still things that I was keeping from Kei. The only reasons I didn't tell her was because I was under orders and because it would scare her. I was still Wardog's flight lead and the others didn't seem to have doubts about me. Kei was the only one who had a problem with me and I was pretty sure that Michelle had gotten under her skin. Kei was emotional about everything and she was a little bit compulsive, like me.

"Only you think that I'm untrustworthy and by the sound of things, me hiding who I am isn't all that's bothering you," I snapped back.

"Rockford isn't what's bothering me anymore. While I was trapped behind enemy line, I had all the time in the world to think, and I only thought about you," said Kei.

"So what the hell is the problem?" I asked angrily.

"How am I supposed to trust anything you say anymore? You've lied to all of us about who you really are and you're still hiding things from me. I don't know what's true anymore and I'm not sure I can take any more of your lies and I sure as hell….."

I didn't let Kei finish her sentence before I decided to go for broke. I grabbed Kei's face and kissed her for possibly the last time. I wanted to try and convince her that I didn't want to lose her, but if this didn't work, which I doubted it would, then at least I could finally move on with my life and become the empty shell of a man that I use to be. I pulled my head back to look at Kei with sad and frustrated eyes. Kei could only look back at me, wondering what the hell I was thinking when I made my move. I could only continue look at her as she looked back at me and just when I was about to turn away, my eye caught sight of the necklace I gave her when we got back from leave. I hid my surprise and I braced myself in preparation for what might happen next…. I was so glad that what I thought might happen, didn't come to pass. _This was totally unexpected. _


	18. Farewell to a Friend

**For those of you who've been reading my story, I really appreciate it. I'm sorry this Chapter took longer to post because of school and other commitments I've made. Also, I looked over what I've wrote so far and noticed that Chapter 6 didn't fully upload entirely so I updated it. I didn't mean to leave you hanging like that. Any further reading, reviewing, and sharing of my story is greatly appreciated. **

**Chapter 17-Farewell to a Friend**

**November 26, 2010 1149hrs Sand Island AFB**

Kei and I couldn't look at each other without grinning like a couple of idiots since we left Yuktobania yesterday. The upside to all of this was that we were actually talking with each other and we were able to actually act like boyfriend and girlfriend again. It wasn't until today that someone had actually said something about it. Kei and I were making out between the garages behind the water tower, located just aft of Hanger C. It was the last place anyone on the base would look for someone to hang out on account of how small the gap between the buildings was. As we were making out, Grimm and Erica came running while they laughed and giggled about something. That's when they caught us.

"Uh… Captain…. Captains… What are you both doing?" asked Erica.

Kei and I quickly released each other and tried to act as if nothing had happened. I could only look at them and wonder why they were here. It then occurred to me that I saw Erica and Grimm together all the time. Both of them were always at each other's side and at first I thought it was because of their bond as pilot and RIO, but now I knew it was more than that.

"I could ask you the same thing, Boldman," I said.

"Oh…. We were… we were just going to…. Uh…" stammered Grimm.

"We were going to invite you to Pops' cook out," said Erica.

I looked at the both of them in total disbelief. I knew they were an item now and the only reason they didn't tell us about it was because their relationship could get them in some really deep shit if the brass found out about it. A relationship between an officer and an enlisted airman would guarantee that the both of them would get kicked out of the military with dishonorable discharges and maybe even time in the brig.

"Bullshit," replied Kei. "I've known about you two since we sank the Hrimfaxi."

"Wait, no it's not…."

"Relax Boldman; we aren't supposed to be in a relationship either," I said referring to Kei and myself. "Just try to keep it on the down low and don't let the brass catch you."

"Sir," asked Grimm.

"Listen, I honestly don't give a rat's ass about the regulations regarding relationships. As long as you treat her right, Grimm, then I'm happy for the both of you."

I saw Grimm and Erica relax and smile when I told them I didn't mind them dating and they joined us in our hideout to shoot the breeze. We just talked about some of the things that have happened during yesterday's mission and Grimm eventually brought up the subject of how Kei and I worked everything out. Erica mentioned that we both had a little more pep in our step and that Kei had a glow that seemed very unusual.

"Is there something we should know, Captain?" asked Erica.

_Okay, this is very awkward. Change the subject, NOW!_

"Were you serious about Pops having a cook out?" asked Kei trying to change subjects.

"Seriously, don't bullshit us, Lieutenant. Is Pops having a cook out?" I asked.

Erica could only look at me and Kei like we were going to beat her up if she gave us the wrong answer, but I just wanted to know if there was food other than the crap they serve in the mess hall. Hell, I would've liked to actually cook something myself just so I could have some food that reminded me of home. I knew Amanda would like to have some of my cooking again so I was hoping that Erica wasn't lying.

"Yeah, I was dead serious," said Erica.

"Oh, thank God," I muttered and I excused myself from the group.

I ran over to the hanger that Pops was in and saw him working on one of the F-22s we had received when I became flight lead. He had completely dismantled the cockpit and organized all the parts on the floor of the hanger. I never realized how complicated the tech of the Raptor was until I saw it like this. I looked over at Pops as he was still pulling things out of the cockpit.

"Hey, Pops," I shouted from across the hanger.

"Hey, Blaze. What are you up to?"

"I could ask you the same thing," I said as I carefully made my way through all the parts on the floor.

"The guys over at Stafford sent over the specs on what they did to clear up the oxygen problems of their F-22s. It's kind of funny that their solution involved using standard paint instead of the intended RAM that was initially designed for the stealth aircraft," said Pops.

"So… What's all this for?" I asked pointing out all the parts of the Raptor's cockpit.

"Well, just the other day I got a package in the mail telling me about a new formula that could replace the existing paint that causes the pilots to black out. I'm just prepping the plane for its new look," said Pops.

I started looking at the F-22 from front to back. I never liked flying it for obvious reasons but I had to admit that it was a beautifully designed aircraft. The body of the plane was smooth to the touch and the curves of it were just so….well designed. The more I looked at this aircraft the more it almost reminded me of Kei because it was almost as intelligent, sexy, and dangerous as she was. If I had to compare Kei to one of the planes that I've ever flown, it would've been the one that Lt. Colonel Harkin gave me while I was flying as Mobius 1. _This gives me an idea._

"Hey Pops, are you allowed to apply custom paint jobs on our planes?" I asked.

"Well, according to Osean regs, you have the kill records that allow for it. Why do you ask?"

"I'm feeling sentimental towards one of my idols from when I was younger," I said smiling at Pops. "Have you ever heard of Mobius 1?"

Pops smiled back at me because he knew where I was going with this and he told me to pick one of the four Raptors that I wanted as my own. I sat in the first three that he hadn't touched yet and inspected each of them from front to back, but none of them felt right to me. I checked the final Raptor while Pops worked on it and I inspected everything, and I mean everything. The landing gear was well lubricated along with the missile racks and storage bay doors. While I was looking over the engines, Kei came into the hanger followed by Grimm and Erica.

"What are you doing, Captain?" asked Erica.

"Just wondering which F-22 I want to take on our next hop," I said.

"Are we all going to fly them next time," asked Grimm a little bit worried.

"Well I am, but I'm not sure about the rest of you."

I continued inspecting the engines and Kei had joined me. We both noticed that this Raptor's engines were well taken care of. The metal wasn't eroded at all and there wasn't a spec of grease anywhere on them. The wiring and tubing were just as clean and I started to see that these details started to seem oddly familiar. Kei noticed how focused I was on this plane I could tell she knew that I suspected something was up.

"Is there something I should know?" she whispered.

"Nope, but… I think there's a fun fact you should probably know about this plane," I whispered back.

I ran over to one of the tool boxes and pulled out an inspection mirror. I made my way back towards the F-22 and poked me head inside the central missile storage bay. I asked Kei to bring me one of the utility lights that were on the far side of the hanger. She ran off to get it while Grimm and Erica joined me under the plane.

"Are you looking for something, sir," asked Grimm.

"No, I want to see if I can guess the serial number on this bird without looking. Here, take this mirror and look for the number on the other side of this beam," I said pointing out where I wanted him to look.

Grimm took the inspection mirror and started scanning the metal beam, trying to find the number. "I can't see it, Captain," said Grimm.

Kei suddenly turned on the light that she had brought. I hadn't noticed that she came back and she startled me a bit when she turned on the light. "I see it, Captain. It's…."

"Let me guess, 7484W630Z-118." I said looking away.

Grimm, Erica, and Kei looked at me in astonishment when I read the serial number correctly. It was right then and there that I knew that this F-22 was the one I flew during the Usean conflict. I was covering up my uneasy suspicion as to what this plane was doing here because I knew it was property of the ISAF. _How and why does the Osean military have this?_

"How did you know that, Captain?" asked Erica.

"I had an old friend who worked on the manufacturing of these kinds of planes and I figured that he worked on this one himself," I said with a smile, but I could see that Kei knew that I was lying.

"What was his name?" she asked.

"Rico Quezada. He and I go way back. Anyways, I think I'll take this one up on our next hop."

Grimm and Erica stuck around for a few more minutes before they headed out of the hanger to do whatever while Kei and I stayed with Pops to help out. Kei was helping me tune the engines and we were having a good time bonding again.

"This is the Raptor you flew as Mobius 1, huh?" whispered Kei.

"Yeah, but I can't help but wonder how it got here. Anyways, if you remember right, I used this baby to save your life," I whispered back.

"No, I thought you flew a Su-47," she replied.

"I've never set foot in any Russian designed plane other than a MiG-29. I could've sworn I flew this one when I escorted the passenger planes."

"I'm absolutely positive you flew a plane with forward swept wings that day."

I paused to think about it because I knew I used the F-22 on an escort mission through some mountains. _I got my plane after we attacked the Tango Line, but then I couldn't fly it when we destroyed Stonehenge because of some engine problems and I flew the EF-2000 during that mission. Oh, that's right. I did use the F-22 on an escort mission but it wasn't when I saved Kei. _I suddenly remembered everything from that day and I knew what Kei was talking about. I used the F-22 to clear up the radar of a recon plane that was attempting to fly through Gnome Ravine. I also remembered that Lt. Colonel Harkin and I almost died that day because of the Raptor's oxygen system problems. That was the same day that I refused to fly the F-22 ever again. But now with Pops working to fix the problem, I just might try and give this bird another shot.

"Hey Pops, Lieutenant Boldman said that you were having a cook out later. Was she serious?" I asked.

"I always have cook outs on Fridays. The thing is, you guys never show up," shouted Pops from the cockpit.

"No one ever told us that," muttered Kei.

I chuckled at Kei's response because she was right. We've all had to suffer from eating the ill prepared food from the mess hall and if there was another way to get better chow on Sand Island, I would've jumped at the opportunity.

"It would've been great to know that when we first got here," I said to Kei. "Hell, I would've volunteered in the kitchen if I was allowed."

"Can you cook?" asked Kei.

"Hell yeah, I'd have competitions with my mom all the time and my sister would be the judge. Mom would win most of the time but I was able to beat her when it came to grilling steak."

"My mom is a great cook too. I loved it when she made chicken stir-fry and teriyaki steak."

"My mom could make an amazing plate of spaghetti. Her enchiladas were just as awesome. It seems like forever since I've had a meal that good."

"I know what you mean," said Kei as her voice trailed off.

The more we talked about our mothers' cooking, the more home sick I felt. I knew it's been just over two weeks since I last saw my mother, but I was already missing her. Kei seemed to be taking our conversation the same way. I actually wanted to meet the rest of her family and according to Kei; her mother would more than likely approve of me. My family already approved of Kei, which was such a relief for me to know.

"We should visit your family next time we go on leave," I suggested. "I'd love to meet your mother."

"I don't think you'd be able to hold a conversation with her for long," said Kei.

"Why's that," I asked.

"She only speaks Japanese and she hardly knows any English."

"I fail to see how that matters," I said in Japanese.

Kei's eyes widened in surprise and she smiled. The next bit of our conversation was spoken in Japanese and I figured that Kei was trying to test how much I knew. "I didn't know you could speak a different language other than English."

"I speak English, Japanese, Russian, Italian, the Polynesian language of Hawaii, and Arabic. It's kind of sad that I don't know a lick of Spanish though," I said.

"You just continue to amaze me, Antonio," giggled Kei.

"I thought impressing you yesterday was good enough," I whispered as I kissed Kei on the cheek and we continue work on my plane until we got off duty. It was like we were making up for lost time from the past week and everything just seemed right in the universe. I'm pretty sure Kei felt it too and it gave her more reason to believe that I would never let her go for any reason.

**1920hrs**

We were officially off duty and everyone on Sand Island was allowed to dress in casual clothes, thanks to Captain Hamilton. I wore a black polo, beige longboard cargo shorts, and my black sneakers. Kei was still in our room getting dressed as I headed to meet the others in front of Pops' workshop. Everything on the base just seemed more relaxed than usual, in a good way. Someone could swear that there wasn't a war going on with the calm feeling everyone on the base felt. The janitors were whistling as they buffed the hallway floors. The Intel staff was leaning back in their chairs and casually walking from point A to point B. Base security guards weren't carrying their weapons or riding their buggies during their patrols. Even the ground crew members who were still on duty were dancing to the music they had playing in the hangers as they worked. I was smiling at how calm and relaxed everyone was and I wished that every day was like this. I made it to the workshop and saw Pops, Amanda, Chopper, Justin, Mariah, Rachel, Grimm, and Erica already there with drinks in hand. Chopper was already blasting his collection of rock music and I had to admit that he had great taste in music for the most part.

"Hey, Kid, it's about time you got here, I thought you weren't gonna make it," said Chopper.

"I'd never pass up a chance to have food that wasn't made in the mess hall," I said.

"Yeah, I figured as much. Where's Nagase?"

"She's still getting ready. What about Rockford and Nelms?"

"I don't know, I haven't seen them since this morning," said Justin.

I shrugged in apathy and joined Pops as he pulled out his barbeque grill and helped set it up. A couple more people showed up and Pops decided it was time to get his cook out started. He took a couple of the others and brought out a bunch of containers, boxes, and barrels from the back of his work shop. _How did I not know about these events since I got here?_ The containers contained prepared food like potato salad, soups, and other side dishes. The boxes contained meat and spices and the barrels had beer, soda, and other beverages. Pops fired up the grill and started placing the steaks, ribs, and pork chops on it.

"How do you like your stake, Blaze?" asked Pops.

"Why don't you set three of them aside? I told Kei I was going to cook for her," I said.

"Oh, you trying to make up for all the drama you put each other through?"

"Actually, we already made up when we landed to refuel for the return trip yesterday."

"Really, how'd you do it?"

Pops was putting me on the spot and I'd become very uncomfortable if I told him the whole story. "We…talked. Let's just leave it at that," I said. _It was the weirdest conversation of my life but we talked and worked it out._

Pops thought he understood right away and we stopped talking about it. The evening went on and everyone was having a great time. Everyone was talking about how great the food was, compared to the mess hall's. I was still waiting for Kei to show up and no one still had any idea where Michelle or Kyle was. When Kei did finally show up, a lot of the guys started commenting her on how nice she looked in her white shirt, beige shorts, and sandals.

"Wow, I thought your girlfriend was more of a tomboy. She's beautiful," said Amanda.

"You should've seen her when we went to Oured for the Marine Corp Ball," I said.

Kei joined me and my sister by the grill and I started preparing our food. Amanda kept telling Kei how well I could grill a steak and how awesome it tasted. When I got done with our food, we all sat down, eat, and drank the night away. It felt great hanging out with all my friends and my sister. It was one of the very few times that I felt like I was actually alive. Moments like this were extremely rare for me when I was growing up and I enjoyed every single second of it. Sometimes I wish I could spend the rest of my life like this. Some of my other friends had since moved on with their lives and I could only wonder where they were right now or how they were doing in life. I didn't dwell on the thought of them for long because I had to live in the now.

"That was delicious," remarked Kei. "How did you learn to cook like this?"

"There's a lot someone can learn when they have all the time in the world," I said.

Amanda rolled her eyes at my remark. "Our mom had to go overseas to the Independent States for six months but she couldn't take us with her. So, she trusted Anthony enough to let him take care of me during the fall and she left me in the care of her friend, Mr. Harkin, when Anthony was gone in the summer."

"What did you guys do to support yourselves financially?" asked Kei.

"Our mother sent us $200 a month for food and other things that we needed. She paid all the bills herself because neither of us was old enough to get a job."

"Wow, you must've been a penny pincher if you managed to live off a budget like that," Kei said to me.

"Wait a minute…" said Amanda. "How did you manage to hire my tutor while mom was gone?"

_Oh crap, she's starting to figure it out._ "Lt. Colonel Harkin managed to convince her to help you out for free," I said.

"Okay, what about when the water heater broke. How did you replace that?" asked Amanda while she gave me the stink eye.

I couldn't tell them the truth because I was under orders. I never really told my sister about Pit bull but my mother was aware of it, even though she didn't know about me flying as Mobius 1 and the other operations I was involved in. Of course I did get paid for doing the government's dirty work, but they didn't know that.

"Fight club," I said nonchalantly.

"Fight club," Amanda repeated like she doubted me.

"Remember when you asked me why I'd sometimes come home with all those bumps and bruises?" _She has to believe that._

"So how much did you win for each fight?"

"Enough to pay for everything that we needed to survive. Mom's monthly $200 wasn't enough to take care of everything around the house, so I did what I had to do to take care of you," I said. _I really have to stop lying, but it's what's best for them._

"I didn't know Wesson had fight clubs. It seemed like such a calm city when I used to live there," said Kei.

"The first rule of fight club, sweetheart," I said.

Kei rolled her eyes and took a drink from her beer bottle. We continued mingling with the others as the night went on. Justin started a game of beer pong that didn't last very long because of how easily Grimm was able to beat him. Erica started dancing to the music and some of the others joined her, including me and Kei. Everything was going great. Everyone was care free and oblivious to the worries of the world, but then everything just seemed to stop when everyone noticed Kyle and Michelle headed our way. We only paused for a second, but it felt like an eternity past before anyone acknowledged them. Michelle was wearing green sundress and high heel shoes that looked wedges of wood with straps on them. The one thing I did notice about her was that she had her hair down for once and she looked lovely. Kyle was wearing a white polo, jeans, and flip flops. Both of them seemed anxious, like we were going to reject them or something when they approached me.

"Requesting permission to join you, sir," said Kyle.

I looked at both of them, baffled. _Why are they asking me for permission?_ I was still mad at Michelle for all the shit she put me through with Kei, but it was all in the past now and I had nothing against Kyle. Michelle looked even more nervous when she stood only three feet away from Kei and they seemed like they wanted to trade blows with each other.

"Permission granted?" I said still confused.

Kyle and Michelle both smiled a little as they joined the festivities. I could tell that Michelle was holding back guilt but she also seemed like she cheered up a little when she was talking with Kyle. Kei noticed it too and I told her what had happened with Michelle before we went off on our mission yesterday. It took some persuasion but I got Kei to let me talk to her alone so that way I could straighten things out with Michelle. However, if I tried anything else, then Kei would make sure that I'd never have kids in the future. _Swell._ I walked over to Michelle while she was sitting on a bench, talking with Kyle and Justin.

"I need to borrow you for a sec," I said.

Michelle looked at me like she was worried but it also seemed like she was harboring some animosity towards me and I still had a trust issues with her. She took one last look at Kyle before she got up to follow me away from everyone. We were a good distance away from the rest of the group before I started talking to her.

"Listen, I know you and I haven't been…. In sync with each other," I said. "I don't know how all of this started but I want to make sure all of this is over."

"It is, Captain," she said glumly. Michelle still wouldn't look at me and I knew I had to be careful with what I said to get her in the right state of mind from now on.

"Something wrong," I asked.

Michelle nodded her head as she tried to gather he thoughts on what she was going to say to me next. "I just… ever since yesterday I kept thinking about what I put you and Captain Nagase through, and I'm so sorry that I did it." I was about to tell her to get over it because it was all over and done with, but she wasn't done talking yet. "But when I kissed you, I felt something and I was hoping you did too."

_Oh, dear God._ I knew she really had a thing for me and I had to be careful with what I said to her next. I could've been a real jerk to her and say something that was extremely cold, but I had to let her down easy. "No I didn't," I said softly. "I already have my heart set on Kei."

It was obvious that Michelle was hurt that I shot her down. If I was still a freshman, this would've been a cake walk because back then, I was heartless.

"I see… So I just try to move on from you?"

"Yeah, I'm already taken," I said and Michelle looked as though she was ready to give up on life. "Look, there's always someone out there waiting for you. Hell, he might be who you were walking with when you both joined us."

I saw her blush a little when I mentioned Kyle indirectly. "I don't know about him. He's cute, but I don't know if I should."

"Why not," I asked.

"He probably thinks I'm a bitch for what I've done," said Michelle.

"Do you think he would've come with you if he did?"

She looked over at Kyle who gently smiled back at her. I didn't know what was going through her head and I couldn't quite figure it out. Michelle struck me as the kind of woman who's picky about everything. Even if I wasn't dating Kei, I doubted I would've ever tried my luck with Michelle because of this trait.

"He likes you," I said, referring to Kyle. "You should give him a chance. And if you don't think you can do it, then you're not kind of girl who'd like me."

I was trying to give her the impression that she was too narrow minded when it came to opportunity and that she should be more open to new ideas. It wasn't like I was trying to pass her off so she'd get off my back. I was trying to encourage her to change. Michelle looked back at me like she was hoping that I'd tell her what's best for her.

"Is this right, though?" she asked. "I mean, is it right for me to be with him if it'll only end in heart break?"

"No one ever fell in love without being a little brave. Apart from that, can we put all of the drama behind us and pretend it never happened?" I asked as I held out my hand.

She gave me an uneasy look before she said anything. "Alright," she said and shook my hand.

_Glad that's out of the way._ We walked back over to rejoin the party and we actually started to communicate among the others of the squadron like everything was back to normal. Everyone in Wardog squadron was finally cooperating and we all knew it. As the night went on, everything just seemed to calm down. Wardog somehow ended up on the northern shore of Sand Island and we were all lying on the ground, looking up at the stars. Kei attempted to point out the Arkbird's position but there were too many stars in the sky during this cloudless night.

"Do you ever wonder what it's like up there?" asked Grimm.

"Like in space in general or like a different planet?" asked Kyle.

"Like the people stationed on the Arkbird."

"Those guys must be miserable up there. I don't think I could spend six months in a space ship. Any number of things could go wrong like a breach in the hull, failure of life support, or the lack of food. The thing that worries me the most is how people use the bathroom," said Chopper.

"You always have to ruin it for everyone, don't you?" groaned Justin.

"What, I'm just saying. But worst of all, I'd also hate to come in contact with a hostile alien race."

"There aren't any aliens out there," said Michelle.

"Bullshit, there has to be other forms of life out there. There's no way that we're the only sapient life forms in the galaxy," said Chopper.

"I don't doubt that we're alone in the universe. And besides, how do you explain Strangereal? It's similar to Earth in almost every way," I said.

"Yeah but there weren't any advanced forms of life here when the first colonials arrived," said Michelle.

"Didn't they find ruins of some kind?" asked Erica.

"I thought those were just rumors," said Kyle.

"Even if they're true, you still have to wonder who left them. It's not like whoever did just decided to get up and leave because they got bored of this place. My guess is war, otherwise they'd still be here or there'd be more traces of their existence if it was something else that caused them to leave," said Chopper.

"Even if it was war, you'd think that someone would've tried to preserve life on this planet," said Kei.

"Probably, speaking of war, how much longer do you think this one's going to last?" asked Justin.

"Hopefully it'll end soon, we're the reason why our allies are moving through Yuktobania so quickly," I said.

"Yeah, the Demons of Razgriz are here to bring a quick end to this stupid-ass war," said Chopper.

"Yeah, and when peace finally returns, we'll have another night like this. I glad all of you are here," I said feeling sentimental.

"As long as it takes, Captain, I'm with you until the end," said Kei as she curled up next to me. Everyone else nodded in agreement and I couldn't help but feel my moral rise. If my team said they were going to stick with me until the end, then I must've been doing something right.

**November 29, 2010 1700hrs November City, Osea**

Our mission for today was to perform a ceremonial flyby over the stadium in November City and stay on station for a CAP until further notice. The Vice President was holding a peace ceremony to rally the citizens of the country and boost morale. I honestly thought this whole thing was a waste of time because the Vice President was the opposite of our peace loving president. Erica and Justin were both on leave and I spared Michelle and Kyle the boredom of today's mission and let them stay at Sand Island. We spent all morning practicing the ceremonial flight and I kept screwing up the timing of all our climbs and dives so I decided to let Kei lead the formation while I took over Grimm's usual trail position. We all flew F/A-22A Raptors armed with four sidewinders and four AMRAAMs along with our standard gun. I got a lot for sideways looks when everyone saw the way my plane was painted. The Mobius insignia was illustrated on the vertical stabilizers over the bluish-grey paint that covered the whole aircraft. The Osean military markings were still visible on the wing and my plane's number changed from 016 to 118. _This is as close as I can get to flying like I used to. _

"So what's with the paint job, Kid?"

"I don't know. I guess I just felt like flying as the pilot who saved the world six years ago," I said with a smirk on my face.

We were approaching November city and I broke off and formed up behind Kei while Chopper took her position and Grimm took Chopper's place. We were six miles outside the city and we all mentally prepared for the flyby over the stadium. _All I have to do is follow my girlfriend. Seems simple enough, right?_

"I'm proud to be able to fly like this," said Grimm as we approached our AO.

"This is a ceremonial flight, watch you manners, kid," said Chopper.

"Likewise, Davenport," I replied sarcastically.

"Everyone, form up and don't stray apart from each other. Okay, Blaze?" said Kei.

"I got it," I said confidently.

"Great, let's begin."

We tightened our diamond formation as Thunderhead gave us the go ahead to start our flyby. _Alright, all I have to do is stick to Kei's tail. That shouldn't be too hard._ Kei led us into the first climb and I took a look around to get a sense of my surroundings. We were flying over the mountains that surrounded the outskirts of the city, which was still a good distance away. Kei then led the formation into a dive and I started thinking about what the VP might say in his speech. _Was he really trying to promote peace with this rally?_ Even at this stage in the war, it seemed like peace talks were so far gone.

"Nice, Kid. We look great," said Chopper

_I don't see how performing climbs and dives make us look great._ I followed the others into another climb and I saw that we were finally over the city. The streets were empty and there didn't seem to be anyone in the buildings. The whole city seemed like it was abandoned and it just made me feel uneasy. We dove for the deck one last time and I saw the stadium come into view. We leveled off at eight hundred feet, just barley high to pass over the buildings in our path. We started our approach on the stadium and we performed a four point roll as we passed over it.

"We're flying beautifully. Keep it up!" said Kei

Grimm and Chopper then broke away in wide turns while I followed Kei in a high G loop to do another pass over the stadium with Chopper and Grimm rejoining our on Kei's wings. I normally didn't like the thought of performing stunts like this, but for some odd reason, I felt a great sense of pride come over me. It actually felt good knowing that we could pull off flying that looked this graceful.

"This marks the end of your flight. Good work, Wardog," said Thunderhead.

"You wouldn't expect any less from this group. We were really smooth up there," said Chopper.

"Alright people, let's commence our CAP while we wait for the Vice President's speech," I said.

We all tuned into the broadcast and waited for the VP's speech to start. Even though we were pretty far away from the stadium, I saw his face clearly on the huge screen that over looked the field. _Damn, I thought the secretary of defense was ugly. _

"People of Osea," began the Vice President. "Please, lend an ear to this broadcast. As your Vice President, I stand here on behalf of the president of Osea. Listen to your fellow countrymen cheering before me. They are filled with anger against Yuktobania and they swear that they will not drop their weapons until Yuktobania has surrendered. Now, I ask you to listen. Listen to their cheers!"

"Aw, great, here comes the thunderous applause," mocked Chopper.

"There's no way in hell that I'd applaud to something like that. I thought this was a peace ceremony," I said.

We continued to listen, expecting to hear the audience applaud the Vice President. A few seconds passed before we heard anything. We didn't hear any clapping of hands or whistling or cheering in approval, but instead, the audience started singing. The entire stadium started singing The Journey Home, a song that described peace and flight. I couldn't help but smile, knowing that the people of Osea didn't support the war like war mongers. The VP tried getting the people in the stadium to stop singing, but he failed miserably. We were still conducting our CAP and Chopper had started singing along with the crowd. I've never heard him sing before and it almost made my ears bleed.

"That isn't exactly Rock 'n' Roll, you know," said Grimm.

"Who cares? Hey they want to get along with the enemy too, right? Man, this song's got soul."

We all laughed at what Chopper said, but it was cut short when we all noticed hit on our radar. _What the hell? Where did they come from?_ Thunderhead called out the enemy fighters and cleared us to engage as we formed into attack formation. There were only four Su-27s and they split their formation as we closed in on them. I engaged the flight lead as he tried to lock onto Kei. I checked my six to make sure that I wasn't being chased and gunned my engines once I saw that I was clear. Kei was following her target into a tight loop and my target followed without hesitation. If I was flying my F-15, I wouldn't have been able to pull lead on my target but the F-22's thrust vectoring nozzles helped me keep him in my gun sight. I let loose a long stream of bullets into my target and watched the Su-27 tumble out of the sky. I looked around and started scanning for more enemy fighters. Grimm had a visual on more enemy fighters that were inbound for the stadium and I knew for sure that something was wrong about all of this.

"Are we… the only allies here?" asked Kei.

"McNealy Air Force Base tried to scramble fighters, but the runway was blocked after someone crashed on takeoff. I'm calling for reinforcements now. It'll be six minutes before the nearest squadron arrives," said Thunderhead.

"Roger that."

"So we're on our own until then?" asked Grimm.

"We can do this. Just stay focused and stave off their attacks on the stadium," I ordered.

"…Hey, wait a minute," said Chopper. "Whoa, there still singing. Why aren't they evacuating the stadium? Where are the air-raid sirens?"

I looked at my radar to see two more formations approaching from the north and west. There were a total of eighteen enemies headed our way and I knew just how stressed the others started to feel. I looked at my team and they all looked at me. I knew that there was no right strategy to deal with this. The only thing I could think of doing is break off into pairs and perform Thatch Weaves to cover our partner, but that would leave the stadium open to attack. I didn't know what to do and I could only think of one order to give, but I knew that if we died as a result of it, I didn't think I could live with myself. _I don't have a choice._

"Wardog… engage at will. All weapons are free," I said, sounding defeated.

I could feel their eyes on me as we opened up our formation to engage the enemy fighters. Thunderhead came over the radio and told us that our mission was to keep civilian casualties as low as possible. I was more concerned for the survival of me and my team but this new order added a whole new level of stress to our mission. _Alright, time to show them why Mobius 1 decided to come back._ I headed straight for the closest enemy plane and fired on him with my gun as I closed in and hit him in both of his wings. I pulled back on the stick as hard as I could to put my plane into a ten G turn to get on the tail of one of the enemy planes. My missile warning alarm was blaring from the four enemy fighters that were chasing me as I continued to chase my target. I wasn't able to keep him in my sights for long before I had to brake off so that I could shake them and I reengaged once I was clear. I was growing frustrated at the fact that we had the odds stacked against us and with no way to even them. I_'ve had it with this. _I broke off from the enemy I was chasing to dodge another missile and I reengaged him once I saw an opening. It took less than a second for me to line up the enemy plane and send a dozen bullets into its cockpit to kill the pilot. As soon as I saw the plane head towards the ground, I barrel rolled over my pursuers and latched onto one of them. He tried braking hard left but I quickly lag rolled into a better firing position and sent a sidewinder his way. It wasn't long until I saw another enemy plane fly in front of me as he tried to latch onto Chopper towards my two o' clock.

"Chopper, break left!" I shouted and Chopper did what I said without any argument. The enemy fighter followed Chopper and left himself open for me to shoot him down. I quickly got behind him, pulled lead, and fire my gun into his fuel tanks. Chopper thanked me and we both continued engaging the enemy fighters.

"We're being pushed back," said Kei.

"We're not dead yet. Show these guys why we earned the title of the Demons of Razgriz," I said.

"Evacuation has begun," said Thunderhead.

"Well, yeah, but they can't get out that fast," said Grimm.

"Then buy them as much time as you can," I said as I shot down another enemy plane.

"Why'd the Vice President have to assemble so many people here? Geez, what a moron," said Chopper.

"Captain Davenport, shut your mouth and take out those enemies," ordered Thunderhead.

"Aye-aye, Sir. Now you're talking."

I was already chasing another enemy plane through some of the buildings of November City. My target was weaving in and out of them and I had to focus on him and my surroundings so that way I didn't end up slamming into the side of one of skyscrapers. I was also being chased by a few enemy fighters and they were glued to my tail. I broke off from my target and clawed for altitude to gain an advantage over my pursuers.

"Blaze, I need help," shouted Kei.

I looked towards my seven o' clock low and saw Kei being chased by three MiG-29s. I dove for the deck and made my way towards her position. The enemy fighters that were still on my tail started to fire on me with their missiles and guns. My flares deflected the missiles away from me and I could see their cannon shells whizzing past my canopy as I continued flying towards Kei.

"Edge, I'm on you right wing. We're going to start a Thatch Weave but we have to clear each other's tails in the first past, alright?" I said.

Kei acknowledged and we turned back towards the stadium with the enemy fighters still pursuing us. Kei and I then started turning towards each other. Kei turned tighter than I did which allowed her to get a clean shot at the enemy fighters that were on my tail. She shot two of them down with her gun and she got the last one with one of her missiles. Once I was clear, I quickly reversed my direction and lag rolled into position as Kei reversed her direction to give me a clear shot at her attackers. _Get away from her you sons of bitches!_ I fired my gun into the lead plane's left wing and watched him slam into his wingman. I didn't have enough time to line up the final enemy with my gun so I locked onto him with a missile and watched his plane explode. I took one last look around and saw that there were only a couple of enemy fighters left. I started to relax a little until I looked at my radar again. My heart sank when I saw more enemy fighters inbound towards our AO.

"I feel like we're being sent to die as some sacrifice," said Kei.

"If they want to kill us this badly, make sure they work for it," I said.

"Somebody…somebody help me!" shouted Grimm.

"Hang on, Grimm. I'll have him in my jaws in a couple of seconds," said Chopper.

Grimm was trying desperately to shake off an enemy plane that was on his tail but he had already sunk his teeth into Grimm. Chopper was the closest one to help him and I saw Chopper launch an AMRAAM at the enemy plane. He broke off and tried to shake Chopper's missile but he didn't know where it was coming from and flew right into it. We all had a couple seconds to catch our breath before the next wave of enemy fighters got within missile range. We all headed straight for them and launched chaff and flares to break the missile locks as we barreled through the enemy formation. Cannon shells and missiles streaked only inches past our planes as we returned fire. We managed to down a couple of the enemy fighters before they broke off and we followed them into the fur ball. We all broke off in separate directions and we all downed a couple of enemy planes within the first minute.

"Three minute!" said Thunderhead.

"Damn, I forgot to keep track of how many planes I shot down," said Chopper.

"I lost track after the very first ones I shot down at the beginning of the war," I said trying to lighten the mood.

Everyone chuckled at that a bit but we still had to worry about the blood thirsty Yuke who were out for our heads. We were all throwing our planes around the sky, trying to avoid being locked onto while attempting to provide support for each other. The enemy had us all fenced in and they took turns trying to make passes at us. The only time I was ever scared to the point of giving up was when I went on my first combat sortie and I had a missile tail me for the first time, but now I was more afraid than any other point in my life. I ordered the others to make a break for it while I covered them. All three of them flew in the same direction and a bunch of the enemy fighters dove after them. I followed after the enemy fighters and got within gun range of trailing Su-27 but instead of opening up on them, I barrel rolled over the enemy fighters that were chasing me. As they scattered to find me, I continued to pursue the enemy planes that were following my team. I locked onto them with my AMRAAMs but they broke off their attack before I could fire. Grimm, Chopper, and Kei all reversed direction to reengage the enemy fighters.

"Captain, how much longer do you think we can hold them off?" asked Grimm.

"For the rest of our lives, Grimm," I said trying to make another joke.

"We can't make it! There are too many of them," said Chopper.

"Keep it together, it's not over yet."

The enemy fighters were slowly gaining the upper hand and we were quickly running out of options on what to do. Everything was too fast paced and I could only use my gun to shoot down enemies because locking onto them took too long. My body was aching from all the tight turns and maneuvers I was pulling and I knew it would only be a matter of time before Wardog fell apart. _I'm not losing anyone else. Keep going!_ I pulled myself together and continued fighting the enemy fighters. The others were still fighting for their live and there was no sign of them giving up either.

"Attention all units approaching November City, I guess they had us going too…" said a mysterious voice over the radio.

"What? Who is this?" asked Thunderhead.

"That was a pretty good drill they got going," said the voice. "Anyways, drill is over. Return to base."

"Wait! What're talking about?" demanded Thunderhead as the radio started to become filled with static. "ECCM, restore communication link," he shouted.

"What the hell is going on?" I shouted.

"The reinforcements aren't coming!" exclaimed Grimm.

"Reinforcements are on the way, just hang in there!" said Thunderhead. There were a few second of silent before he came back over the radio. "Dammit, none of the bases are responding to me! What don't you understand? There's an air battle above the stadium!"

"It looks like your friends aren't here to help you this time, Blaze," said another mysterious voice over the radio.

"Who the hell is this," I demanded.

"Take a look towards your nine o' clock."

I pulled out my binoculars and scanned the area off my left wing. It took me a little bit to spot a black dot on the horizon and I couldn't see what it was. I continued looking at the plane and that's when I saw it. _It's him!_ It was the black MiG 1.44 that I encountered over Basset last month and I knew it was the green-eyed pilot.

"It's nice to see you again, Castillo. I've been looking forward to planting you in the ground," said the pilot.

"Likewise," I growled.

"Aww, did I bruise your ego over Basset? That pride is going to get you killed one of these days."

"So I've heard."

"That's right; your mentor's wingman told him the same thing, didn't he?"

"Yeah, he did. But I'm not my mentor," a said angrily.

"Oh trust me, I know. And I've been looking forward to fighting Wardog's flight lead for quite some time. You flying your old colors is an added bonus."

"Blaze…" said Kei.

"He's going to complicate things if I don't take care of him now. You and the others have to stop the rest of the enemy fighters from completing their objective," I said.

"But Blaze…"

"Edge, don't argue with me. I'll be alright."

"…Alright, just… just be careful."

I rocked my wings in acknowledgment and peeled off the meet Green, as I now referred to him. My heart was racing at the thought of me finally getting my revenge. I wiped the sweat off my face and hands in preparation to fight this guy. We closed in and he opened fire on me with his gun. I quickly performed a barrel rolled over him and came out into a dive that put me right above him. He countered my maneuver by performing an incomplete Kulbit that positioned him right behind me as I dove past him. I was directly in his sights and he gave chase as I dove to lower altitude and started flying between the buildings again. Weaving in and out of the buildings worked for a little bit until he was right on top of me. I barrel rolled over him and started chasing him above the city as the others from my team tried desperately to keep the enemy fighters clear of the stadium and off of me as well. Green was flying with such intensity that my already exhausted body was having trouble keeping up with him. I started to feel my arms going numb, and it became increasingly difficult to grip the controls.

"I see you're getting tired, boy. You're making this too easy for me," said Green.

"So you think," I muttered, trying to make a bluff.

_Come on, Antonio! You have to hang on._ I was still on Green's tail as he tried pulling a high G climbing left turn. I lag rolled into a better firing position and lined him up in my gun sight, but before I could fire, Green rolled over and dove for the deck. I lost sight of him and I rolled over to find him. I started scanning the ground feverishly until I saw tracers shoot past my right wing. I looked behind me to see an enemy Su-27 on my tail and I instinctively broke left. The bullets whizzed by me and the enemy pilot over shot, but I was led into a trap. I saw more tracers streak by my cockpit and when I looked behind me, I saw Green gunning for me hard.

"I was expecting more of a challenge from the Demons of Razgriz," said Green.

"You'd be in a shit load of trouble if these guys weren't all over our asses," shouted Chopper.

"Don't worry, Captain Davenport. I'll make sure you're next after I finish off your flight lead. Or better yet, why don't I go after your flight lead's bitch?"

My eyes widened as I started to realize that his banter was going way over my head and it I cursed myself for not picking up on it earlier. _He knows who we are!_ "I'm going to fucking murder you!" I shouted as I pulled a Super Kulbit over Green.

As soon as I came out of the maneuver, I gunned the engine and locked Green in my gun sight. I pulled the trigger and landed a couple hits on his left wing. Green immediately broke hard right and I aggressively chased him through all of his maneuvering. I sank my teeth into him and I almost had him in my gun sight.

"New enemy formation detected. It's a flight of enemy stealth fighter," said Thunderhead.

"Are they inbound to the stadium?" asked Grimm.

"They're dead set on crushing us, both physically and politically," said Chopper.

"Wardog, engage those assholes before they make it to the Stadium!" I ordered.

"There are still too many enemies in the way, Blaze," cried Kei.

"Someone is going to die today, Wardog," teased Green. "It's either one of you, all of you, or the people in the Stadium."

"Shut up!" I shouted.

I didn't want to admit it, but it looked like Green was right. If this kept up any longer, then it was only a matter of time before one of our numbers was called. I couldn't keep chasing Green and expect my team to fend off all the enemy fighters and stealth bombers alone. I broke off of Green's tail and joined the rest of my team as we engaged the stealth fighters. How the Yukes got their hands on a squadron of F-117s, I'll never know. Their radar signature was extremely weak but they were strong enough for us to hone in on them and find them.

"Kid, your friend is still on our ass!" said Chopper.

"I'll deal with him, just try and shoot down those fighters before they reach the stadium," I said.

I looked behind me to see Green latch onto my tail as I shot down one of the stealth fighters. I opened the throttle to try and get away but he easily kept pace with me. I dove, I climbed, I broke hard left and right but I couldn't shake him. I tried putting my F-22 into a descending right spiral and Green pounced on me without hesitation. I looked back to see him firing his gun at me and I couldn't react fast enough. 30mm cannon shells impacted around my cockpit and shattered the canopy of my plane. My arms were lacerated by the shrapnel and I grunted in pain.

"Blaze," shouted Kei.

I looked over towards my seven o' clock high and saw Kei diving on Green, but he saw her coming too. As Kei drew closer, Green performed Pugachev's Cobra and watched Kei over shoot. He leveled out of his maneuver and chased after her. I couldn't move my right arm and I couldn't give chase either. Out of sheer desperation, I pulled out my sidearm with my left hand and fired a couple of shots at Green as he flew past me after Kei.

"It's a shame really… to see the woman you love die in front of you," said Green casually as he lined up Kei in his sights. Kei grunted as she tried pulling into a high G barrel roll to throw off his attack, but he was able to stay behind her through every turn. I could hear Green chuckling as he acquired a missile lock on her. "Good-bye, Captain Nagase."

_NO!_

"Not on my watch you son of a bitch," said Chopper as he came screaming in to cover Kei's back. Chopper fired a missile at Green's MiG and he couldn't get out of the way in time. He launched a set of flares but the missile was still able to explode within close proximity to his plane and tear off one of the vertical stabilizers. Chopper then peeled away to deal with the enemy fighters that were still pursuing him, but Green wasn't through yet. He performed a lag roll to get on Choppers tail but he was too far to fire at him with his gun.

"Here's a present for you, Captain Davenport," said Green.

"Chopper, get out of there!" I shouted, but it was too late. Green fired a missile at Chopper and he tried to out maneuver it. I pulled myself together and to get back on Green's tail, but I was intercepted by a bunch of enemy fighters.

"This isn't over, Castillo. I'll make sure you end up like your father," said Green and he broke off from the fight with a couple of escort fighters behind him.

"Damn," exclaimed Chopper as his plane got peppered with shrapnel from the missile.

"Are you alright? You've been hit," said Grimm.

"Ah, it's nothing big. I'm not wounded. I ought to be able to keep this plane in the air a little longer," said Chopper calmly. "Beside, planes are expendable. Right, Kid?"

"I'd rather lose a plane than a wingman," I replied trying to keep everyone's hopes up and Chopper laughed.

"Chopper, can you bail out?" asked Kei.

"Well that's kind of difficult right now," said Chopper. "There are still too many enemies in the air and there's nothing but houses down below. I can't leave this plane just yet."

"Can you still fight?" I asked.

"I'll stay up here as long as you need me, Kid."

"Alright, we have to clear out those stealth fighters first. Edge, Archer, cover us while we clear them out."

Chopper and I climbed up to meet the F-117s and we quickly dispatched them. I climbed up from behind one of the F-117s and fired on it from below. As soon as I saw him plummet towards the ground I rolled over and dove on another one of the stealth fighters to shoot him down. I was about fire on the enemy plane when my missile warning went off. I looked behind me to see a MiG-29 launch a missile at me. I dove past the stealth fighter and positioned myself so that way the enemy missile would hit the F-117 and it did. _I'm surprised that worked! _I climbed back up to meet another stealth fighter from below and I looked behind me to see a MiG-31 climbing up towards me at high speed. _Well if that worked, then maybe this will to._ The MiG tried firing on me with his gun but I easily rolled out of the way and he shot past me. He didn't see the stealth fighter that I was targeting and he was headed right for it. The MiG pilot tried pulling out of the way but he clipped the wing of the F-117 and sent it spiraling towards the ground. I looked over at Chopper and saw that he shot down the last formation of F-117s with the last of his AMRAAMs.

"That's the last of those guys," said Chopper. "I'd better get out of this plane soon. Kid, do you see any place where I could drop this plane?"

"Yeah, take it…" I began but I was bounced by an enemy plane.

"Way to go, Captain! So, where," asked Chopper.

"The stadium, Chopper, can you hear me," said Kei. "Drop it into the center of the stadium and bail out! Do you understand?"

"Roger. Good idea…gives me some hope that I just might make it. I'd better wait for the crowd to evacuate some more, though."

I was going to tell Chopper to drop it into the river before I was interrupted by an enemy. This MiG pilot wasn't as good as Green, but my wounds still made it difficult to fly. He tried diving on me from my nine o' clock high and I instinctively barrel rolled over him, forcing him to over shoot. I quickly jumped on the opportunity and dove after him. After I shot him down, I took a look around to find another enemy fighter and I saw Chopper's plane trailing thick smoke out from his engine as he flew out from behind some buildings. I saw one last enemy MiG-29 tailing him and Grimm quickly dove on him to clear Chopper's six.

"All enemy stealth fighters confirmed destroyed," said Thunderhead. "We've called back the allied fighters."

There were still a number of enemy fighters in the sky and they were still gunning for us, but mainly at Chopper. We were trying our hardest to keep the enemies off of him and we weren't showing any mercy towards them.

"A little too late, man," muttered Chopper. "There goes the radar. My circuits are toast."

I was breathing heavily and I couldn't catch my breath to tell him to bail out over the river. The pain in my arms was beginning to become unbearable and the enemy fighters just kept coming.

"Look, forget about it, Chopper, just bail out. Please, bail out!" begged Kei.

Chopper sighed as he changed heading towards the stadium. "Okay, guess now's the time."

"This is Thunderhead. Captain Davenport, are you alright?"

"Chopper, take it over the river," I strained to say, but he didn't hear me.

"There's the stadium. I'm dropping the plane over there," said Chopper glumly.

"Roger, now get out," said Kei.

We were all too busy engaging our targets to watch Chopper as he guided his plane over the stadium. We could only listen and wait for him to tell us that he got out alright. The few seconds that we waited seemed like forever before he said anything.

"I can't, the electrical system's all messed up. The canopy won't blow. The ejection seat's probably not working either," said Chopper as his radio started breaking up.

"You don't know that! Blow the canopy with your pistol and try the ejection seat!" I ordered.

"Don't give up, Chopper! Keep trying! Chopper!" shouted Thunderhead.

Chopper chuckled to himself before I heard his last words. "I'm gonna miss that voice."

"DAMMIT, DAVENPORT, GET OUT!" I shouted in desperation.

I barrel rolled over the enemy plane on my six and filled the cockpit full of lead. As soon as I saw him go down, I looked over towards my three o' clock and saw a smoke trail heading towards the center of the stadium. I didn't want to accept it. My wingman and one of my best friends was about to die and I couldn't bear to watch. I don't think anyone could because no one said anything until we all heard his radio go silent. I couldn't tell who it was that shouted Chopper's name when his plane dropped off the radar.

"…..Dammit," muttered Thunderhead. "I hate to say this now, but there's another enemy wave approaching. All units engage."

I was wretched that I had lost Chopper but at the same time, I felt nothing but animosity. I couldn't tell if I was angry at the Yukes in general or just the green-eyed pilot. I was in a blind rage and I couldn't feel anything. Not the pain in my arms or the G forces as I turned towards the new enemy formation. I could hear Grimm and Kei both fighting back their tears and I tried my best to not let my sorrow show, but the tears came anyways.

"With pleasure," I growled.

The Yukes had three formations headed our way, arranged in finger four formations, flying one behind the other at pretty wide intervals. I knew just how to quickly deal with them. I turned over to the wideband radio channel and I could hear the Yuke talking about how Chopper's death was a morale booster for them all. _As quickly as you gained that boost of confidence, I'm going to replace it with fear even quicker._ Throughout the entire fight, I had only used my gun and three sidewinder missiles. I locked onto the first formation of enemy planes with all four of my AMRAAMs and fired. I climbed up and barrel rolled over them as my missiles impacted all four of the enemy planes. As I came out of the barrel roll, I was above and in front of the second formation's flight lead and I fired into his cockpit with my gun and watched his plane nose over into a dive as I dove past him and the last enemy formation. Then, I quickly pulled up out of the dive and performed an Immelmann turn so that I was behind the last formation's flight lead. He tried breaking off with his wingman but I sent my last sidewinder into his plane and quickly fired a long burst into his wingman's engine. I watched all seven of the enemy planes that I had just shot down fall towards the ground, trailing smoke and fire. The Yuke formations were in total disarray and I could hear them panicking over the radio.

"What's going on? They're maneuvering better than before?"

"It's like their different pilots. Did the demon take them over?"

"This is the true power of the Razgriz?"

"We were no match for them after all!"

"Don't lose your confidence. We can still beat them!"

_You're more than welcome to try, but you'll only die tired. _Nothing else in the world mattered to me except that I kill as many of these pilots as I could. I wanted to intimidate the Yukes to the point that no one in their air force would try to fight us and I hoped that this intimidation would force the Yukes to surrender in the war all together. The remaining enemy planes in the air tried running, but we didn't let them get far. Through all the fighting, I could still hear Kei and Grimm sobbing quietly as they shot down enemy after enemy. Eventually, there was one last enemy pilot on radar and I could see him trying to get away from the fight and I dove after him. He tried desperately to shake me but I wasn't going to let him go. I had him in my sights and I fired a burst from my gun into his engine. His plane started smoking but he was still able to fly and he leveled out. I lined him up to finish him off but I heard a whisper to me that snapped me out of my rage.

_Please, don't do it._

I sat there motionless with my finger poised on the trigger and I hesitated shooting this guy down. The enemy pilot was dead in my sights and it would've been one of the easiest kill I'd ever claim. I know I wanted the Yukes dead but, something was stopping me from doing it. I couldn't bring myself to shoot down this enemy pilot and I didn't know if it was because on my wounds or because my morality was telling me not to. I heard another plane approaching from behind and I looked back to see that it was Grimm. He was coming in to finish off the enemy pilot for me and I quickly flew between them to block his attack.

"Captain…" said Grimm angrily.

"Let him go," I said in anguish.

"But…"

"That's an order, Grimm."

We both broke off from the last enemy fighter and watched as he sped off towards the west. Kei found us and formed up on my left wing and Grimm formed up on my right. We saw a friendly formation headed our way and they started sweeping the area for enemies. I felt angry at them as well. I kept thinking; even if that one pilot said that it was a drill, the other pilots should've came over to investigate. November City was where the Vice President was, after all.

"…Wardog, thanks for holding out for us. The reinforcements are here," said Thunderhead. "We just got word from the ground…"

I perked my head up and waited intensely to hear if Chopper had somehow managed to get out in time. I started to remember what Pops had told me last week when we were drinking in the crew room together. _You have to hold onto every single bit of hope you can get and pray that they're still alive._ I was gripping my necklace, hoping that Thunderhead would tell us the good news.

"Except for a few injuries in the confusion following the evacuation, there were no civilian casualties in the stadium."

I felt my heart sink at the news. As heartless as it may sound, I honestly didn't care about the report of civilian casualties. All I wanted to know was if Chopper was still alive and nothing more. I wanted to yell at Thunderhead but it wouldn't do me any good.

"He… He was a model fighter pilot to the end. Join me in saluting Captain Davenport!"

A formation of F-16s flew over the stadium and the number three plane peeled off and saluted Chopper with a missing man formation. I led the others around the stadium one last time before we headed back to Sand Island. It was painful to see the smoking crater and the remains of Chopper's F-22 and I didn't know what else to do. I blamed myself because I should've watched out for my team better. I should've shot down Green's plane on the first pass. I didn't know if I'd ever live down the guilt of losing one of my wingmen, but I had to find some way to keep moving forward. _Until we meet again, Chopper. Farewell._


	19. Life Goes On

**Chapter 18 – Life Goes On**

_What…Who…Where am I?_ I felt my sense of touch come back first and I could feel that I was lying down on my stomach. My back was in pain and I clenched my fist to try and deal with it. I could feel tears building up in my eyes because the pain was so unbearable. My sense of hearing was the next thing to come back and I could hear the beeping of a life support machine to my right. I could hear the mumbling of people behind a wall and I make out little bits of what they were saying.

"He's fad…in and out. I'm not….he's going to pull through."

"Psych analysis show….he's resilient. We've been watching…..him for…time and…..like…..candidate for…."

"He's traumatized and you expect to brain wash him into learning things like this?"

"That's why now's….perfect time to….into this program. He might not…what happened….left of his family."

_Are they talking about me?_ I tried opening my eyes and I my vision was blurry from my tear. I tried lifting my hand to my face to wipe them away but I couldn't move. I struggled to move my arms and legs but then I realized I was strapped to the bed. _What's going on?! Why am I strapped to the bed and where is my family?!_ I felt my vision clear up and I noticed that I was in a dimly lit room. It didn't look like I was in a hospital, nor did it seem familiar in anyway. I was scared and I wanted to get out of this place. I wanted to find my family. I struggled to get loose of the bed straps and the more I tried, the more the pain in my back increased. I wasn't going to give up until I was loose and I grunted in pain as I continued to try and break free. I could hear the Velcro straps starting to give way and I kept at it. I was almost free and with one final effort, I broke loose and rolled off the bed. I landed on my back and I let out a blood curdling yell that got the attention of the people outside of the room I was in. They stormed through the door and tried lifting me back onto the bed. The armed security guards and the fact that they strapped me to the bed was a Tell-Tale sign that they didn't want me to escape. I knew for sure that I wasn't in a normal hospital. I was struggling to get loose of their grasp and I managed to land a couple of hit on the guards that tried pinning me to the bed. One guard in particular, who was wearing tinted eye protection, retaliated by jabbing me in the back in the hopes that I would stop struggling, but it only made me fight back even harder. He jab me again and I managed to get one of my arms loose to punch him hard enough to break his nose. I felt a great deal of satisfaction knowing that I could still do something to fight back just a little. The guard leaned back in pain and I saw him reach for his pistol. _If I'm going to die, then it won't be without a fight!_ The guard pointed this pistol inches away from my head and I spit on him to show that I wasn't scared of him. I glared back at him and as he was about to pull the trigger, a man wearing a lab coat pushed the gun away from me.

"Don't! I need him alive," he shouted. "Put him to sleep. We'll deal with him later."

"Where's my family!" I shouted at the man.

He looked back at me and gave me an evil grin before he walked out of the room. The guards had finally subdued me and one of them stuck a needle in my arm. My adrenaline was flowing and I fought to stay conscious as he shot the fluids into me. I could feel myself starting to fad but I was still awake and I was still trying to get loose. One of the other guards told the first to give me another dose and he did without hesitation. I was even drowsier and I couldn't move. I felt like I was falling into darkness and I tried desperately to grab onto something to stop, but it was no use. I fell and fell until everything went black.

**November 30, 2010 0732hrs Sand Island AFB**

I was in Kei's bunk because we had slept together last night. I wanted everything that happened yesterday to be a bad dream. I wanted to go to the mess hall and see Chopper eating at one of the tables with the rest of Wardog. Kei was cuddled up next to me with her head resting on my chest. My arms were bandaged from the wounds I received from Green and they were still sore. I didn't want to move. I didn't want anyone to tell me that Chopper was gone because I refused to believe it. What's worse, I felt like someone would blame me for letting Chopper die, but I was already blaming myself. I should've fought harder against all of those enemy pilots and I should've told Chopper to bail out over the river sooner. All of these thoughts about what I should've done had me breathing like I was about to cry and I know Kei felt it because she grasped my hand tightly as we laid there. I wanted to say something to her and I could tell she wanted to do the same for me, but no words could come to mind. I didn't want to stay in this silence and I tried desperately to think of something to say. Kei moved in closer to me and I held her tightly. The reality of Chopper dying made the thought of me losing Kei sink in and I swore to myself that I wasn't going to lose anyone else. I didn't know how I was going to tell Justin about how Chopper died. He wasn't supposed to be back from leave with Erica until the first of next month and I started to wonder how he was going to take the news and what was going to happen to him. My train of thought was all over the place and I needed to clear my head. I didn't say anything as I sat up and started getting dressed into my PT clothes. I saw Kei staring at me out of the corner of my eye like she was worried. As I was about to head out the door, I heard my phone go off. I unlocked it and noticed that Lt. Colonel Harkin had sent me an e-mail.

_Hey Kid,_

_I just wanted to tell you that we're still investigating how the Yukes managed to slip past the Osean Air Defenses and nothing's turned up yet. However, we have reason to suspect that it was an inside job. I also read your report concerning the enemy pilot you encountered and evidence suggest that he wasn't flying for the Yuktobanian Air Force. We confirmed that you and your team had shot down a total of 49 aircraft, which I'm actually amazed you were able to accomplish, but the Yukes reported a loss of 53. We suspect that he shot down a couple of the Yuke fighters that happened to cross his path. _

_As for Mr. Davenport, I don't know what to tell you. I guess there's not much I can say to make you feel better. I just wanted to tell you that you're not the only one who's dealing with your friend's death. Lt. Colonel Davenport was a valued person to everyone on Sand Island and everyone shares their sympathies with you and your team. I know what it's like to lose a wingman and there's not much you can do about it. You won't be the first to lose friends and you won't be the last, but you have to be strong for the others. You still have to look out for them. I'll try to keep in touch more in case you need to talk to me._

_With my condolences, _

_Lt. Colonel Harkin_

_P.S. Everything happens for a reason. _

I was tearing up as I read his e-mail and I tried to keep my composure. I tiled my head back and looked at the ceiling as I took in a deep breath. _Which side is Green fighting for? _I set my phone back on the computer desk and I walked out of the room to go on my morning run, hoping that it would clear my head. While I was running, I noticed that the base was unusually quiet. The seagulls were flying but they weren't cawing. The wind wasn't blowing and the usually busy atmosphere around the base wasn't there. I continued running along the shore of the base and I saw someone sitting on the sand, looking out to the horizon. I drew closer and saw that it was Grimm. He had his arms wrapped around his knees and by the look on his face I knew what he was thinking. We were all thinking the same thing. I started walking towards him and I quietly sat down next to him.

"Hey, Hans," I said softly.

"Good morning, Captain," replied Grimm in the same manner.

I didn't know what else to say and we sat there for what seemed like hours on end. I doubt anyone could've thought of anything to say. I felt like I knew what Grimm was thinking because all I could think about was all the people that were dead because of us. They were people just like us. They had friends and family just like everyone else and we were responsible for them no longer being able to be with their loved ones.

"Captain…. I feel like this is my fault…. I should've looked after Chopper," said Grimm.

"It was a viscous cycle. You would've gotten shot down if you tried covering him," I said.

"Then it should've been me."

"So you'd put Chopper in this sorry state of mind?" I retorted.

Grimm seemed like he came to the sudden understanding of what I was trying to point out. I came to the conclusion that we all blamed ourselves in some way. Kei tried to save me and Chopper stopped Green from shooting her down. Grimm felt like he should've looked out for Chopper better but there was nothing he could do with all the enemy fighters in his way. And then there was me. If I hadn't broke off my attack to attack the stealth fighters, I could've stayed glued to his tail long enough to send Green to hell.

"There's nothing any of us could've done," I said.

Grimm turned his attention towards the horizon and returned to his thoughts. I could tell he was pondering what I said but I was also wondering if he knew I was lying. I started going over everything in my head again and it occurred to me that if I hadn't disengaged Green, then innocent civilians might have wound up dead. It came at a cost though but I refused to believe it. There should've been another way and I should've seen it by now, but I couldn't see it.

"I guess you're right, sir," said Grimm. "It's just difficult to fathom right now."

"I know, Grimm," I said and I got up to leave.

I continued my run to clear my head of everything. As I passed by the docks, I noticed something big being unloaded off one of the ships in the harbor. It looked like the fuselage of a plane and the first thought that came to my mind was that it was the remnants of Chopper's F-22. I wanted to inspect the plane's remains myself in the hope that I'd find evidence that Chopper somehow managed to escape, but I felt like I'd be fooling myself. _Hang onto every bit of hope that you can!_ I had to check to see if Chopper did get out. _I'll do it later._

I was done with my run and I headed straight for the gym. Everyone noticed when I walked in and they all remained silent around me. I was working out my lower body with squats, leg curls, and leg presses. I knew that it wasn't recommended to do these kinds work outs in rapid succession, but I did anyway. I was going at it with no signs of letting up and I could sense the concern of everyone else. I did a complete work out, but I wasn't done yet. It was difficult for me to stand and I had a hell of a time putting weight on my arms, but I felt like I had to keep moving. I made my way to the sparing dummy and one of the medical officers in the gym tried stopping me. I pushed him aside and let loose on the dummy. All I could picture were those green eyes. I was letting loose with a barrage of punches on the dummy's head and I felt myself enter a blind rage. I ignored the blood that was seeping through my bandages and I continued hitting the dummy. I threw a hard left and right cross on the dummy's head and I followed up with an extremely hard roundhouse kick with my left heel. I let out a yell as my foot connected with the dummy's head and I watched as it flew off and impacted against the wall. The kick I threw made me lose my balance and I collapsed onto floor. I tried getting back up but I couldn't without my arms giving out. My bandages were soaked in my blood by the time I got to my feet and even then I felt like I couldn't stand. I was about to continue hitting the headless dummy but as I threw my first punch, I felt myself collapse again. I braced myself for when I hit the ground but someone caught me. I looked up to see my sister holding me and I could tell I was scaring her.

"It won't bring him back," said Amanda softly.

I couldn't bare it anymore. I tried to hold back my tears but it was no use. _It's alright…there's no shame in crying._ Amanda got on her knees and hugged me I sobbed quietly while everyone else in the gym stood by, looking at me. I could only think about the people that Green killed; mainly the people who were close to me. He killed my dad, my sister, my brother, and my friend. _How many more people are going to die before he gets to me?_ I was afraid for the others of my team and I didn't know if I could handle the loss of anyone else. After about a minute, Amanda helped me back onto my feet and took me to the sickbay. It must've seemed weird for a 108lb girl carrying a 193lb guy down the halls of the buildings. When we got to the sickbay, Amanda helped me onto one of the beds and she took off the bandages I had on my arms. Blood was still oozing out of the cuts and my sister started searching through her medical bag for something until she found it. I was a small green bottle that contained a clear looking gel of some kind and she dabbed some of it into her hands.

"This is going to sting," she said as she walked up next to me and rubbed the gel on my cuts.

She wasn't lying when she said it would sting. It felt like my skin was being cut open with a knife and all I could do was bite down on a rag and grunt in pain as I buried my head into a pillow. The pain lasted for a couple minutes before it started to subside. When the stinging sensation was gone, I took a look at my arms to see the damage that was done; only there wasn't any. The cuts on my arms we completely healed with no scaring.

"What the hell was that?" I asked.

"Something that's still in development so you might start to hallucinate a little," said Amanda. "Just lie down and try to stay calm."

I leaned back in the bed and rested as I look up at the ceiling. The floating things in my eyes seemed to turn into snakes that were biting at each other. _This is weird._ I looked at my hands and my fingers seemed to bend in ways that they weren't supposed to. The room seemed to stretch and the distance from me to the door looked like it was a hundred yards away. I closed my eye and tried to relax as I waited for the effects to pass over.

**1723hrs**

Trying to relax resulted me in passing out for nine hours. When I woke back up, I saw that Amanda was sleeping with her head down on the desk in the room we were in. She hadn't left me the entire time that I was passed out. I started to sit up and I felt someone else in the room with us. I looked to my left and saw that Kei was sitting by my bed. She was relieved that I was alright and she moved closer to me to give me a hug.

"I came as soon as I heard you were here," she said.

"Thank you, I'm glad you're here," I replied.

As I tried to get up off the bed, Kei stopped me and made me sit back down. She couldn't look at me and it seemed as if she was holding back her tears. I knew what was on her mind and I tried my best to predict what she was going to say.

"It's my fault that Chopper's gone," said Kei choking up. "That enemy pilot was coming after me and I should've been in his place."

It was the same thing that Grimm had said, but Kei had more reason to believe that she should've been the one to have been shot down. I wanted to slap her upside the back of her head when she said she should've been the one to die. I gently placed my hand under Kei's chin and made her look at me. There wasn't any combination of words that could've made me seem like I wasn't trying to be cruel, but I had to say something.

"You saved me and Chopper saved you. If there was something that could've been done, you bet your ass I would've tried to use that option," I said softly.

"But that pilot was coming after me. Why didn't he just try to shoot me down?" asked Kei.

"Because he's an egomaniac and he wasn't going to let Chopper get away with shooting at him," I said. "There's nothing anyone of us could've done."

"Bullshit, there's always another way," exclaimed Kei. "You could've shot that guy down if you hadn't broken off to attack the stealth fighters."

"Then the civilians in the stadium would've died!" I said. "You know Chopper wouldn't have wanted that."

Kei's expression told me that she didn't want to believe that I was right, but I was. We all joined the military to protect and serve the innocent, even though we might not have realized it. Chopper knew that in our line of work, there's always the possibility of dying. We all did. I just never expected to lose another member of my team after Kei was shot down.

Kei hung her head and I held her as she buried her face into my chest and quietly sobbed. I knew I'd have to help everyone on my team get through the loss of Chopper and that I'd have to talk to all of them. I'd also have to try and tell Chopper's family about what happened and I felt like writing a letter wasn't enough. I wanted to visit Chopper's family and tell them in person about what happened. I kissed Kei on top of her head before I let her go to walk out of the room. Amanda was still sleeping at her desk and I picked her up and laid her down on the bed. It seemed strange, I've never seen my sister as more than the little five year-old girl that I saved when I was eight and I didn't want to leave her. I asked Kei to watch after her while I went to go talk to Colonel Perrault and she agreed. I made my way towards Perrault's office and I thought that I should talk to Pops, but I had to talk to the Colonel first. No one said anything to me along the way and I just felt very uncomfortable. Even the receptionist in the room in front of Perrault's office didn't say anything to me when I walked in. I knocked on his door and I heard him tell me to enter. I presented myself even though I wasn't in uniform and I could see that this annoyed the Colonel when he put me at ease.

"This better be important, Captain."

"I need to talk to you regarding my now deceased wingman. I'd like to request some time off to visit Chopper's family and tell them the news," I said.

The Colonel looked totally unamused and unsympathetic to my request. All he could do was look at me like he was waiting for me to tell him I was joking. I looked back at Colonel Perrault with a straight face to show him that I was dead serious. I knew how important my team was to the war effort and that we could be called on for any number of reasons, but this was more important to my team and me.

"You cannot be serious right now," said Colonel Perrault.

"I'm dead serious, sir. I need to tell Lt. Colonel Davenport's family the news myself," I said.

"Then write them a fucking letter. As fast as our armies are advancing through Yuktobania, I need you people on alert."

"I understand, sir, but I need to do this to keep them focused."

"Quit looking for excuses to back out of this war, Castillo. If I lose you, your team is only going to fall apart."

"It's already falling apart. We all blame ourselves for Davenport's death and if we get sent on mission with moral this low, there's a chance we might not come back at all to finish your war."

"You and your squad are staying right here. Deal with your friend's loss however you can, but you're not leaving this base," yelled Perrault.

I was about to protest but he continued by telling me that if I kept it up, then I'd be written up for insubordination. I could only grip my fist and lower my head in frustration at Perrault's last words. I turn around to walk out of his office and as I exited into the hallway, I heard his phone ring. I wanted to tell Chopper's family in person so that they could understand just how sorry I was that I let him down. I felt like I couldn't do that with a letter. I was almost at the front door to the building when I heard Colonel Perrault's receptionist order me to report back to his office. _What does he want now?_ I turned back around and headed for his office again. Once I was back in his office, he told me to sit down and he didn't look too happy. I took a seat and Perrault stood up from behind his desk to look out his window.

"I don't know who it is you keep calling to bail you out of trouble, but I'm getting tired of it. I got orders from my superiors to let Wardog take some more time off to get your heads' straight. You're to report back to here on the 5th of December so as of now, you're not my problem anymore," said Perrault.

_How did this happen?_ I got back up and as I started to open the door, Perrault quickly ran up next to me and slammed the door shut before I could walk through it. _BOHICA, Castillo. _I looked at him as he glared at me and I could hear him breathing heavily. I couldn't tell if it was because he was mad or if he was out of breath from running a few feet.

"Your mother isn't always going to come running every time you don't get what you want," he growled.

"My mother has nothing to do with my life in the military and I'd appreciate it if any reference to her never came out of your mouth ever again," I said as I glared back at him.

I walked out of Perrault's office and headed back towards the sickbay where I had left my sister with Kei but first, I was going to stop by and talk to Pops. I got to the flight line and I could see him talking with Genette off in the distance. They were looking at something inside one of the hangers as they talked and I watched as Pops took a seat on the bench while he continued to talk with Genette. At first I thought they were talking about Chopper and how his death was affecting Wardog but as I got closer, I heard that they were talking about something else. I didn't know what it was and I assumed it was personal so I didn't ask. Pops noticed me coming and for once, I didn't see him smile.

"Hey, Captain," greeted Pops.

"Hey Pops, hey Genette," I replied.

"What are you doing here?"

"I was hoping to talk to…" I began, but I stopped myself when I looked inside of the hanger to see what they were looking at before I walked over.

"Is there something wrong, Blaze?" asked Genette.

They were looking at a plane in the hanger that was suspended above the ground by series of steel cables and was covered in tarps. I walked into the hanger and started looking over the aircraft. I could see that it was being dismantled and some of the parts seemed to have been damaged. The frontal canards were placed on the ground along with a good section of one of the wings. I knew right away what this plane was and I was in shock to see it here. _Miranda!_

"Where did you get this?" I growled as I glared at Pops.

"Blaze, are you feeling….."

I didn't let Pops finish before I grabbed him by the collars of his jumpsuit and forced him against the side of the aircraft. "Where did you get this," I demanded

I could see the fear in Pops' eyes as I held him against the aircraft and I wasn't going to let go until he gave me an answer. "It came from Yuktobania. A salvage team sent it here for me to study it and I've been trying to examine it myself," said Pops instantly.

"Blaze," I heard someone exclaim.

I looked towards the hanger doors and saw Kei looking at me in disbelief as I forcibly held Pops. My sister was with her as well and she looked just as scared as Pops. I let go of Pops and slowly walked in front of the aircraft. I lifted part of the tarp and as fate would have it, I spotted the faded name 'Miranda' painted on the on the side of the nose. It was no bigger than the name a person writes on a piece of paper. I grabbed one of the nearby step ladders and climbed into the cockpit of the plane. Everyone could only watch as I sat there and fumbled at the nonfunctioning controls. Everything was still intact but it wasn't in any shape to fly.

"Do you know about this plane, Captain?" asked Pops.

I nodded and lowered my head in frustration. I could see Kei was examining the plane and after a minute, she realized what it was. It was the same exact plane that I saved her family with and we both knew it. It was my X-02 Wyvern. The only way I could describe the way this plane looked was a sleek cross between an YF-23 and a Su-47. The X-02's wings were swept forward from the tips to the middle and swept back from the middle to the wing root. When viewed from the top, the wings looked like they formed a 'w'. This gave it higher maneuverability at low speeds. The small vertical stabilizers were located under the fuselage, just under the wings and horizontal stabilizers. The horizontal stabilizers were angled upward 40 degrees. At speeds higher than 430mph, the forward swept wing section would fold inward into the inner section of the wing and the horizontal stabilizers would fold down to align with the wings and front canard. It looked like an arrow head when it was going at supersonic speeds. The engines had thrust vectoring nozzles that gave it even greater maneuverability at slow speeds. The weapons were stored in bays that blended seamlessly into the rest of the aircraft. There was one embedded towards the rear of both air intakes and a larger one between them. The gun was a M242 25mm Bushmaster cannon that's been modified to have a faster rate of fire and so it could be fitted inside the aircraft. The plane was built exclusively for Cipher to use in the war fifteen years ago. It was manufactured using resources from Grunder Industries but was built in Erusea. Originally, only one was built but Erusea made six more of these planes to strengthen its air force when Free Erusean tried to rebel. I personally took care of them and the remains of those aircraft were destroyed to prevent the design from falling into the wrong hands. _Only two pilots in existence were ever able to fly this thing, and I was one of them. _After I retired as Mobius 1, the brass saw it fit to sell its parts for scrap because they didn't think war was going to be a problem in the future.

"Did the salvage team say where they found it?" I asked.

"All they told me was that it came from Yuktobania," replied Pops.

_Dammit._ "What's going to happen to this thing?"

"It's probably going to be shipped back to Grunder after I'm done looking over it, although there's not much for me too look at here."

I sank down in the cockpit at the thought of my plane falling into the wrong hands. It was bad enough that I had to deal with average pilots trying to kill me with copies of the X-02, but if this aircraft got into the hands of the country that was famous for its legendary combat pilots, then I feared for whoever flew in the skies if Belka ever started another large scale war. I kept stressing at the thought of my plane going somewhere else for someone to dismantle it and study it, or worse, elaborate its design. _I have to find some way to keep it out of the wrong hands._ I climbed out of the cockpit and walked out of the hanger to head back to my room, but Amanda stopped me.

"What's wrong?"

"Everything…" I said sullenly. Everything did seem wrong. With Chopper dying, my plane being stripped down, and my crew chief now hating me made it seem like the world wasn't getting brighter. "I'm sorry….it just going to take some time for me to…adjust to all of this."

"….Alright…. I'll be in the sickbay if you need me," Amanda said softly.

I hugged her one last time before I headed out of the hanger to go back to the barracks. Kei quickly raced to my side and grabbed my arm. I couldn't tell if she was trying to comfort me or is she wanted me to comfort her. Maybe it was both. We stood on the flight line holding each other for a minute. I still had to tell her about our time off that we could use to pay our respects to Chopper's family.

"That was the plane you saved me with isn't it?" asked Kei.

"Yeah…I have to find some way to get it back into the right hands," I said. "Anyways, I need you to help me gather the others and meet me in the crew room. Did Erica and Justin arrive back yet?"

"Yeah, but we haven't told them the news yet."

I nodded in understanding and headed off to look for the other. I found Grimm still sitting on the beach from this morning and we ran into Justin along the way. We all headed to the crew room and we all sat down in the circle. Erica and Justin were still oblivious as to what happened yesterday and I had to break it to them gently. They could tell something was up while we waited for Kei and Michelle. I was leaning back in the chair the same way Captain Bartlett was when he first told us we were going to be sitting alert, before the war started. When they finally arrived, I sat up and leaned forward to tell them what had happened. _This isn't going to be easy._

"Where's Captain Davenport?" asked Erica.

"…Lt. Colonel Davenport…"

"Wait, he got promoted?" interrupted Justin.

_Dammit, I can't do this. _I wanted to lie to them and tell them that Chopper had gotten transferred, that he decided to retire, that someone in his family had died, or that he went AWOL. I didn't want to tell them that he was dead, but if I didn't tell them, they'd find out eventually. I took a deep breath and looked directly at Erica and Justin.

"Chopper was KIA yesterday," I said desolately.

Erica brought her hands to her mouth in shock and I could see that she was tearing up, but Justin… Justin just sat there staring at me blankly. I don't know if it was because he was just that much in shock or if he was in denial after hearing that his pilot was gone. Michelle and Kyle were in shock when we first told them, but I didn't know what was going through Justin's mind. I continued to look at him and eventually, he sank his head down and started shaking it. He cupped his face into his hands and I could see that he was sobbing. Kei placed her hand on his shoulder and Grimm was already hugging Erica as she cried. I explained everything to them when they all seemed to calm down a little but they didn't want to believe that Chopper was dead.

"We've all been given some time off to mourn Chopper," I said. "I've decided to go and visit his family in person to give them the news. You guy can come with me, stay here, or go someplace else to clear your heads."

"I'll go with you," said Kei.

"I'll come too," said Grimm.

"So will we," said Justin and everyone else nodded in agreement.

I was glad they all wanted to come with me and it made me realize just how dedicated my team was. We all stood up and headed to our rooms to pack our things. I sent a message to Lt. Colonel Harkin telling him about the X-02 and I quickly packed all my things. The more I thought about leaving, the more I thought about how unfair everything was. Chopper died trying to protect civilians and our dumbass of a vice president. _Why would Yuktobania try to attack a stadium full of civilians after they got their revenge when they gassed Bana City?_ Nothing made sense to me anymore and I wanted to understand why we were fighting this war. I finished packing and was headed for the hangers when Genette stopped me as I walked by his and Chopper's room.

"What is it," I asked.

"Before he went to bed every night, Chopper would always write in this," he said as he handed me blue notebook. "He showed me some of what he was writing about and I think he would've wanted you to take a look at it."

I opened it to the first page and saw a familiar poem printed on a plain white sheet of paper. _An Irish Airman Foresees His Death._ I remembered when Lt. Colonel Harkin read it to me before I went on my first mission as Mobius 1. I was worried that he read it to me because he thought I was going to die in the sky. I flipped over to the next page and saw a journal entry dated the day that Kei and I arrived at Sand Island. It turns out that Chopper was actually intimidated by the sight of me and I could understand why. _I'd be scared of me too._

"I think you should take some of his things back to his family. I know he'll be pissed if his records get sent somewhere they're not supposed to," Genette joked.

I gave him an annoyed look and then I thought about what he said. Chopper would be rolling over in his grave if someone did something to his records. They were collectibles after all. I grabbed his box of music and started towards the hangers. I was the first one there and Pops was still examining the remains of my plane. I couldn't stand the sight of it and I wanted to do something, but what could I do? I already sent a message to Lt. Colonel Harkin, telling him that his plane was here and all I could do now was to wait for his response. I set my things down by the hanger door and walked towards Pops.

"Pops…" I said softly.

"Hey, Captain," he replied normally. I was honestly expecting him to shun me for how I acted towards him earlier but he didn't.

"I'm sorry for how I acted earlier… you didn't deserve that," I said.

"It's okay, Blaze, I understand," said Pops.

I looked at Pops and he looked at me. He sighed as he climbed down from the plane and put his tools back in the tool chest.

"Chopper's gone and I know how you feel," he said. "Also, knowing how much you love flying, I can understand your frustration seeing your idol's aircraft sitting in my hanger in pieces like this."

"You knew this was Mobius 1's plane?" I asked.

"It wasn't just his. It was also flown by Cipher in the war 15 years ago," said Pops. "To people like you, the legacy of people like Cipher and Mobius lives inside their belongings, but to people like me, their legacy lives inside us."

I nodded as I looked over the X-02 one last time. I started to remember a couple of maneuvers that I tried performing in the Wyvern that I couldn't do with any other aircraft that I had ever flown. I wish I had a little more time with this bird before it left to go where ever it was headed next. I also wished that Rico was here to take care of her. Just as I finished looking over the cockpit again, I saw the others come into the hanger with their bags in hand. Now, we had to find a way back to the mainland. I was going to suggest that we take our planes again, but then we wouldn't be able to bring Justin.

"Take my S-2," said Pops.

"Really," I asked.

"Yeah, it's no different than flying a fighter."

"Thanks, Pops," said Kei and then she turned to me. "So where are we going?"

"Chopper's family lives in Wingfield, which is only a couple hours away from McNealy," I said.

We loaded up Pops' S-2 freight plane and he towed it onto the flight line. I was going to be the one flying the whole time and Grimm cracked a joke about how Michelle would be complaining the whole time. We all got a small laugh out of that, which we all needed. Michelle was completely clueless as to what she needed to do as my copilot and I pretty much had to do all the pre-flight checks by myself. Once that was out of the way, I started up the plane, got takeoff clearance from the tower, and taxied onto the runway. This was one of the few times that I've flown a prop driven plane and I had to get used to the shuddering of the plane again. I applied full throttle and we slowly started down the runway. Michelle had a small anxiety attack because she thought that we weren't going fast enough. I couldn't help but laugh at her because she was already panicking and we hadn't even lifted off the ground yet. Once we finally reached takeoff speed, I gently pulled back on the yolk and we took off into the night sky.

"And here you are worrying about nothing," I said to Michelle.

"I was starting to get used to you flying at high speeds, but now, I'm worried this thing is going to stall," she said. "Will we even make it to McNealy? I mean, this plane only has a top speed of 280mph and nine hours of endurance."

"Hey, Pops tuned this thing himself. Knowing him, he upgraded the engines and airframe of this bird."

Michelle could only shake her head in disbelief. I wasn't paying any attention to her as I changed heading towards the mainland. I couldn't see anything out of the windows so I had to keep my eyes glued to the instruments and fly using only them. The dim red lights were the only thing that allowed me to see everything in the cockpit. I had the engines' throttle set at 80% power and we were going 380mph. _Way to go, Pops._ After three hours into the flight, we were still a long ways off from McNealy and Michelle was dozing off in the copilot's seat. I told her to head back and join the others in the cargo bay so that way she didn't accidently mess with the controls in her sleep. She took off her headset and made her way back to join the others. With her gone, it was just me and my thoughts alone in the cockpit. I thought about what I was going to say to Chopper's family and I couldn't think of anything other than how he died and what it was like flying with him. I felt myself thinking deeper and deeper into it when eventually I got to the point where I was replaying everything from yesterday in my head. The thing I thought about most was what the Green kept saying. The more he talked, the more he got under my skin. I wanted to shut him up and I wanted him out of my head. It was like he was intent on making me suffer out of sheer spite like a bully. _What the hell did I ever do to you?_ I felt a hand on my shoulder and it startled me back to reality. I saw that it was Kei and she sat down in the copilot's seat as she put on the headset.

"I wish you'd stop doing that," I said.

"Sorry, I just thought you'd like some company to help you stay awake," she said. "Were you thinking?"

"Yeah, it's what I do whenever I'm alone."

"So what were you thinking about?"

I sat back in the pilot's seat and rubbed my eyes. "The reasons why I fight," I said.

"Because we're pawns for the brass," replied Kei glumly.

"That's not what I meant. I mean like, what drives me to keep going?"

"I already know my reason," said Kei. "It's you."

I blushed at what she had said and I asked her why I was he reason for fighting. "I vowed to never lose another flight lead, so as long as I'm flying as your wingman, I'll always have a reason to fight," said Kei. "What keeps you going?"

I didn't say anything right away because I couldn't give her a straight answer. "I honestly don't know. I joined the military so I could keep flying," I told her.

"You know, you didn't have to join the military to fly."

"I know, but if I didn't, I would've never met you," I said and I swear I could see Kei blushing through dim red lights that lite up the cockpit. I reached over and took hold of Kei's hand as we continued flying through the night. We were both alone in the world once again, and I couldn't be happier. Even though the rest of the flight was flown in silence, we were happy.

**December 1, 2010 730hrs 2 miles outside McNealy AFB**

We arrived at McNealy and left the base to find a hotel to stay in so we could plan for the rest of the day. I was disappointed that my mother wasn't there and that no one would tell me where she was staying. After all, it is her birthday today. The only thing I could do was to write her an e-mail from my phone and wish her a happy birthday. We check in to a simple motel out in town and settled in. Justin said he wanted to be alone for the rest of the trip and that he'd visit Chopper's family on his own time while we were here.

We all got up at 0730hrs to get ready for a long drive to Wingfield. It was a pain in the ass trying to find a car rental place that had an SUV readily available. Once we got that out of the way, we loaded up and headed out while Justin stayed behind. The drive to Wingfield was just as quiet as the plane ride over. I tried turning on the radio to break the silence but Kei turned it off after a few minutes of listening to it. I didn't like the silence among the group and I tried desperately to think of something to talk about while I continued driving, but nothing came to mind. Chopper would've defiantly been able to talk about something.

"Hey," said Grimm. "Remember during Halloween when Chopper spent all day in his Elvis costume and tried singing on top of our table during dinner?"

"Yeah, too bad he couldn't sing worth a damn," I faintly chuckled. "Remember when he bet that you couldn't eat those MRE crackers in under a minute?"

"Those things were dry as all hell," exclaimed Grimm. "And I lost $40."

"It's your fault for making that bet," said Erica.

"Yeah, but he saved my life the next day so he could collect his winnings."

"I'm pretty sure he would've done it even if you didn't owe him money," I said. "He saved all of us at some point in this war."

I was glad we were talking about how great of a guy Chopper was. We started talking about some of the other silly things he did at Sand Island and what he thought about this war; this stupid, meaningless, and unjust war. I never wanted any of this for anyone in my squad and I sure as hell didn't want them to suffer the loss of a teammate. As cliché as it might sound, Chopper was more than a teammate, but a brother to all of us. His death hurt me just as much as the death of my dad and two other siblings.

**1118hrs Wingfield, Osea. **

"Are you sure this is the right address?" asked Kyle.

"Well their mailbox says 'Davenport', so if someone else with the same last name lives here, then we got the wrong house," I said sarcastically.

We were in a lavish looking neighborhood that reminded me of rich neighborhoods in Miami, Florida or LA, California. Palm trees lined the streets in long intervals and all the houses were well maintained. The house we arrived at looked like a small chateau and it made me wonder what kind of people his parents were. Given all the books and TV shows I've watched, I got the feeling Chopper's parents were the neglectful type that were more interested in their money than their son. I pulled into the circular drive way and parked behind an expensive looking sports car. We all got out and I just felt so out of place dressed in casual clothing. I felt like someone was going to pop out of nowhere and tell me to leave because I wasn't wearing a suit and tie. _Well, here goes._ I approached the front door and rang the doorbell as the others stood behind me. I wasn't expecting someone to answer the door right away, nor was I expecting an elderly butler to be the one to greet us. _How funny would it be if he was British?_

"May I help you, Sir," he asked in a British accent.

_I was kidding._ "Yes, I'm looking for Paul and Chloe Davenport," I answered.

"Might I ask what the nature of your visit is?"

"I need to talk to them about their son, Alvin," I said solemnly and I noticed the butler's eyes widen in realization.

"I see. Who shall I tell them is here to see them?"

"Captain Antonio Castillo."

The butler invited us all inside and led us to the living room where we all sat down on two of the five couches in the room. The interior of the house looked more elegant than the outside. The more I sat there, the more I felt like the owners of this house had to make it obvious to everyone just how deep their pockets were. I felt weird being here because it made me feel like Chopper's parents were self-centered and prejudice against anyone who was lower in social class. I buried my face in my hands until I heard footsteps approaching the living room. I lifted my head up and saw a middle aged man and woman dressed in all white approaching us and we all stood up in preparation to be greeted.

"You must be Kid," said the man with a smile.

"Sir?" I asked a little befuddled.

"Alvin told us all about you in the letters he sent to us," said the woman who also smiled at us. "Forgive us, I'm Chloe and this is my husband, Paul."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet, but…" I began but they cut me off.

"You must be Nagase, and you're Grimm," said Paul and then he looked at the others. "And who might you three be?"

"This is Lieutenant Rockford and Boldman," I said pointing to them. "And this is Captain Nelms."

"Oh, so where's Justin?" asked Chloe.

"He… stayed behind," said Grimm.

"Hmm, and I bet Alvin was forbidden to come with you because he got under your base commander's skin again."

"Yes, he always did have a problem with authority. It was a pain in the ass trying to get him to behave when he was younger," said Paul.

"I see… Mr. Davenport, we're here…" I began but I was interrupted by the doorbell ringing.

"Oh, for crying out loud," muttered Paul. "Who is it, Scotty?"

"Two gentlemen whom I believe are members of our military," said the butler.

_Dammit, they're here to give the same news I came to give._ Paul instructed Scotty to let them inside and join the rest of us in the living room. It turns out that the two military members were a pair of 1st Lieutenants and they knew who I and my team were as soon as they saw us. I could tell that they were going to ask us if we had already told them the news, but I had to stop them from beating me to the punch.

"I assume you've…" began of the officers.

"I was going too," I said, cutting him off.

"What's all this about?" asked Chloe.

I took a deep breath and stood up in preparation for Paul and Chloe's reaction. I really didn't want to tell them, but I had to. _There's no turning back now._ I felt myself chocking up as I tried thinking about the right words to use to tell them that their son was dead.

"Mister and Misses Davenport, I came here with my friends to tell you some news about Alvin," I said trying hard to hold back my grief.

I could see their smiles fading when and it was obvious that they knew what was coming. Chloe sat down on one of the other sofas in the living room as she waited for me to continue with what I had to say. Paul stood behind her and placed his hands on his wife's shoulders.

"Your son was killed two days ago while we were on mission in November City," I said and I couldn't stop my tears from showing.

Chloe brought her hand up to her mouth as tears began to build up in her eyes. Paul could only look at me in shock after what I had just told them. I didn't know what else to say and I sat back down on the couch as I waited for them to ask me questions about what had happened. The one of the Lieutenants reached into the briefcase he was carrying and handed Paul a bunch of documents pertaining to Chopper and they left afterwards. We all sat there quietly for a good ten minutes before anyone said anything. Erica was the first one to speak up and she told Chopper's parents about how great of a man Chopper was. Paul and Chloe could only sit on the sofa and nod as they sobbed and listened to what we were telling them.

"How did he die?" asked Chloe.

I told them the whole story from when we arrived on station, to when we were ordered to RTB for the day. I left out the parts about how the Green spoke to us and how he knew us. As I was telling them what happened, I noticed how wrong I was about Chopper's parents. They really did care about him and they did have a strong bond with their son. Chopper was an only child and it worked well with his family because Paul was a psychologist and Chloe was surgeon but they managed to spend all of their free time with their son. Family mattered to them and I was glad that I was wrong about them. When I got done telling Paul and Chloe how their son died, they tried to hold back their sorrow as best they could, but it wasn't any use. Paul could only hold his wife as she wept into his chest.

"Your son was a great man, and he was also our friend. I thought it'd be best if I told you what happened," I said as I got up to leave and the others followed my example.

"Wait," said Chloe as she whipped her eyes and sat up. "I really appreciate you and your team coming here to visit us, Captain Castillo, though I wish it was the way Alvin had planned."

I didn't know what they were talking about and we all looked at Chopper's parents, puzzled.

"Alvin had planned to bring you here once the war was over. We were excited about meeting you," said Paul.

"I was honestly nervous about meeting you specifically, Captain. Alvin always did say that there was something very intimidating about you," said Chloe.

I could still see that they were both distraught at the news I had given them, but they were glad that I had decided to visit them. They invited us to stay for lunch and I was nervous about accepting, but we stayed. Paul led us out back into a villa and we followed him to a very large gazebo where their butler was setting up food on a table with another man. _How many people do they have working for them? _I felt very uncomfortable as we sat there silently, waiting for Paul or Chloe to say something.

"I remember the first day I met your son," I said and everyone looked at me. "Captain Nagase and I had just arrived at Sand Island and we were eating our first meal in the mess hall together when he came over to steal some of my food while introducing himself."

Everyone got a small laugh out of it and I looked at the others, trying to telepathically tell them to keep the stories coming. Erica told a story about how he tried hitting on her after Operation Footprint and I noticed how Grimm gave her a jealous look. Michelle brought up the time when Chopper made her laugh so hard that she fell as she climbed out of the cockpit when we returned from destroying the ammo depots in Yuktobania. Eventually, we all shared a story that had to do with Chopper and it seemed to cheer up Paul and Chloe. We all continued telling stories about Chopper until it was noticeably darker outside. When I looked at my watch I noticed that it was 1924hrs. We all gathered at the front door and said our good-byes to Paul and Chloe and I also gave them Chopper's things before we left. Paul looked at the box of records and I figured that he had given some of them to Chopper and that must've been how he had gotten into Rock 'n' Roll.

As we drove away from the Davenports' residence, I looked in the rearview mirror to see Chloe sink to the ground in grief and Paul knelt down beside her to comfort her. As I looked at them both, I couldn't help but wonder if that's how my mother felt when she heard the news that my siblings and I were dead. It also made me wonder how I'd react if I ever lost my child if I ever had any. The more I thought about it, the more my mind started to wander. _Who'll be my wife?_ The only reason I thought like that was because I was unsure of my future. I didn't know if Kei and I would together forever. Even if I tried my hardest to keep her in my life, there was no guarantee we'd still be together. _You'll find some way to keep her, Antonio. Hold onto her tightly and don't let go. _Losing Chopper was bad enough, losing one of the others next was worse, and losing Kei would be the worst for me.

**December 2, 1200hrs 7 miles outside Pike, Osea**

"Why are we going to Pike?" I asked Kei as she drove the car she rented for herself.

"There's something I need your help taking care of," she replied. Kei woke me up early this morning for this specific reason and I still had no idea what she need to take care of. She was being very enigmatic about it and it made me think that she had gotten into some kind of trouble. _Wait, how could she have gotten in trouble in Pike?_ I started to think that she had a friend who might've been in trouble and they might've called on Kei for help. _I'm worrying too much. _We continued headed for Pike and I could see storm clouds billowing in the distance. _Of all places in the world, we seem to be stuck in the most humid parts of Strangereal during winter. _I could tell it was going to rain and I couldn't help but shake my head at the thought of it. We continued driving and eventually, we arrived in a neighborhood after I witnessed Kei's road rage driving through a nearby town. I thought my foul language was colorful, but Kei managed to come up with insults that I could never have thought of. Anyways, Kei pulled up into the drive way of an American Craftsman style Bungalow.

"Well, we're here," said Kei and we both got out of the car.

"So who lives here?" I asked as we made our way to the front door.

"Just come on."

I rolled my eyes and followed Kei onto the front porch. Kei rang the doorbell and we waited for someone to answer. I looked at Kei and I saw that she was fumbling with her fingers. She was anxious about something and it worried me that she hadn't told me what we were doing here. We heard footsteps approaching the front door and I saw Kei tense up. I was worried that I was going to have to fight someone so I readied myself for anything. When the door opened, I saw an Asian woman who looked like she was in her late 40's or early 50's. It was right then that I understood what was going on. No words were exchanged between them and there was brief moment of silence before they moved in to hug each other. They didn't need to say anything because their reunion was moving enough.

"Oh, Kei, my daughter, it's so wonderful to see you again," said Kei's mother.

"It's great to see you too, mom," said Kei and she turned to me. "Antonio, this is my mother, Sora Nagase."

I quickly glanced inside Sora's house and saw that there a number of things that a traditional Japanese family would usually have. I remembered some of these things from when I lived in Hawaii back on Earth and I figured that if the interior of the house was this traditional, then so was Sora's life style. I bowed to greet Sora and I introduced myself when she asked who I was. Kei then told her mother a little bit about me and we all headed inside the house. I took off my shoes before I set foot on the carpet, waited to be seated, and spoke only when spoken too. Kei and Sora both noticed how I was acting and I didn't know if they were surprised that I knew so much about Japanese culture or if they were insulted that I assumed they lived like a traditional Japanese family.

"I'm impressed you know so much about our culture," remarked Sora.

"I've always been very fond of the Japanese. My father, before he died, would always tell me about how he visited Japan when he was a Marine back on Earth and how much he loved it there and I guess his love for it rubbed off on me," I told her.

"Oh, so I assume you're very fond of my daughter."

I couldn't help but blush at her comment and I didn't know how to answer. I looked at Kei and she didn't know what to say either. I tried saying something but no words came out of my mouth and I tried to keep myself from stammering. Sora then started to giggle and told me that she was just kidding, but she pointed out that my reaction made it obvious that I was fond of Kei. _If only she knew._

"So, how come you're here, Kei?" asked Sora.

Kei hung her head in despair while she told her mother. "We're on leave to mourn our teammate who died three days ago," said Kei quietly. Sora could sense the sadness in her daughter's voice. Talking about Chopper's death didn't seem to get any easier as time went on and I knew it would still take some time to cope with it.

"So what are you both doing here? Shouldn't you be telling your friend's parents about their son?"

"We already did and they took the news as best they could. The only reason we're here is because Antonio suggested that we visit you next time we were on leave," said Kei.

"Why would you suggest that you visit me?" Sora asked me.

"Well, Kei had already met my mother and it only seemed fair that I meet you," I said.

"When did you meet his mother?" she asked Kei. _Damn, she doesn't miss anything._

"He… asked me to go to a Ball with him and his mother just happened to be there," said Kei nervously.

Kei's tone made me realize that her mother might have a problem with me dating her daughter and this made me rather nervous.

"Why did you ask my daughter to go to a Ball with you," Sora asked me.

"Because… I'm very fond of her?" I said trying to be funny.

Sora gave me a blank stare as I smiled at her and waited for her to laugh. A few seconds passed by and she just continued to stare at me. I looked back at Kei and I saw that she buried her face inside her hands. _I'm in trouble._ I looked back at Sora and I couldn't hide how anxious I was to hear her response. Then all of a sudden, she burst out into laughter. I breathed a subtle sigh of relief and nervously laughed with her.

"You actually got my daughter to go with you to a formal gathering?" Sora asked as she continued laughing.

"Why's that so funny?" I asked.

"She refused to go to her Junior and Senior proms because she hates dressing up."

I looked at Kei to see her blushing really hard. Now I know why Kei was nervous about accepting my invite to the Ball. At first, I thought she didn't like me enough but now I knew. I took out my wallet and showed Sora the picture we took together and she smiled uncontrollably.

"I did it for you so you better have liked it," Kei whispered to me in English.

"Oh, trust me, I did," I whispered back and we then continued talking with Sora in Japanese.

We all continued talking late into the afternoon and I started to relax around Kei's mother. She was a very interesting woman and it seemed like she was starting to warm up to me after I told her what Kei had told me about her. The thing that really got her attention was when I mentioned how much Kei loved her chicken stir-fry and teriyaki steak. It was right then and there that she said she should start preparing dinner. Kei decided to go take a shower while I continued talking with Sora while I helped her cook.

"You love my daughter, don't you, Antonio?" asked Sora and I looked at her, wondering how she knew. "I see the way you both look at each other. It's the same look my husband and I gave each other before he died. I know you both have something going on."

"It's that obvious, huh?" I replied.

"Yes it is. I honestly thought she'd never find a man that makes her smile like she does now."

"She never had a steady boyfriend while she was growing up?"

"She had a few boyfriends while she was in high school and one while she was in college, but they never lasted long. I always thought that it was because of what happened to her after her father died."

"The attack on Curtis Air Force Base," I asked softly.

"Ah, so she told you?" asked Sora.

I nodded my head and continued chopping vegetables for dinner. "She told me after I told her that I was there."

Sora stopped what she was doing and looked at me in shock. "You were there too?"

"Yeah," I said glumly.

"Did she also tell you what happened to her after the attack?"

"Yeah, after I told her that I went through the exact same thing."

Sora dropped the wooden spoon she was using to stir the noodles in the pot. She looked at me in awe like she had just seen ghost. "I…I had no idea. Is that why Kei and you are together?"

"I sure hope not. I guess it helps us understand each other better. There's one thing that I've never been able to figure out about her though," I said.

"And what's that?" asked Sora.

"Why did she join the military?"

Sora stopped stirring the noodles and looked at me like I didn't want to know the ugly truth, but I was curious. "She did it so she could find the man who killed her father."

I wasn't really surprised that Kei had joined the military for the same reason I did, but it did help me understand Kei's motivation better. It also made me realize that Kei wanted to try and fight Green when he appeared over November City and she knew that she couldn't take him in a one on one fight. I pondered all of this as I continued helping Sora prepare dinner. Kei came into the dining room just as we finished setting the table. Even with just a white t-shirt and jeans on, Kei still looked beautiful. We smiled at each other as we took our seats on the floor around the table. I had to admit that it felt strange sitting on the floor on a mat while eating on a table that sat very low to the ground. What made it feel even stranger was that no one spoke during the whole meal because it was considered rude. I wanted to tell Sora that Kei wasn't lying when she said that her mother made an amazing Chicken stir-fry. After we got done eating, Kei and her mother started cleaning the kitchen while they insisted that I relax. I wandered around the house a little before I ended up on the back patio where I noticed a grand piano, but I didn't pay it much mind. It was raining outside and I was leaning in the doorway that led to the back yard, pondering some of the decorations Sora had on that patio and in the yard while I listened to the wind chime hanging above me. There was something about the rain that always seemed to make me happy, though I could never quite figure out why. I then turn my attention to the piano and took a seat on the bench. _I bet Kei's sister had to play this when she was younger._ I was listening intensely to the rain and the wind chime for inspiration. I could hear the wind gently rustling through the trees and my fingers started gliding over the keys.

"Blue Skies, right?" I looked up to see Kei leaning in the doorway of the house with her arms folded as she grinned at me. I nodded and returned the smile when I realized what I was playing. "That's one of my favorite songs in the world. I'd always play along with my violin."

"You play?" I asked surprised.

Kei nodded and smiled gently before she asked me to hand her a brown case that was sitting between the Piano and the wall. I handed it to her and she opened it to reveal a blue violin with Kei's full name engraved into the side. She pulled out the bow and started tuning her instrument before she started to play. I don't know what Kei was playing with her violin, but I felt at peace. I smiled as she closed her eye while she moved to her soothing style of music. I could've watched her forever but she eventually ended her song.

"Lovely," I said as I clapped quietly.

"I've noticed that you seem very calm when you're playing or listening to music like this," remarked Kei.

"You really think so?" I asked.

"I know so. I noticed it when you playing at the Ball that you just seemed oblivious to everything wrong in the world and I noticed it when we picked up the nuggets from Heierlark too," said Kei. "Deep down inside the insanity we live with, there's a gentle side to both of us."

I blushed and stood up from behind the piano and leaned against the wall where Kei was standing while she put her violin back into its case. "Music sooths the savage beast I suppose," I murmured.

"You're not a savage beast," said Kei.

"Oh, well thank you," I said smiling.

"You're more like a mother bear."

I rolled my eyes at her and I moved in to embrace Kei from behind. I swayed with her to the left and right as we took in the sounds of the rain and wind. Then, as if out of nowhere, we heard some slow piano music coming from inside the house. I guess Sora liked seeing us together like this. Kei looked at me and smiled a little as she placed her hands on mine. We swayed back and forth for a little bit longer before I twirled her around so that we could dance facing each other. Everything was right in the universe and only one thing could ruin the moment.

"Kei, show Antonio to his room. I'm about to go to bed and you know I don't like being disturbed," said Sora from inside.

"Yes, ma'am," Kei replied annoyed and then Kei looked to me. "My mother doesn't want us getting any funny ideas so… you'll be sleeping in the guest room."

_Swell. _


	20. The Fortress

**Chapter 19 – The Fortress**

**Date: unknown**

"0118 get up!"

The voice over my room's loud speaker woke me up and I got out of bed and stood in front of my door, waiting for my handler to take me to the psychologist to evaluate my mentality. I thought it was ironic that he was the same guy who tried killing me when I first woke up in the hospital room. He never did forgive me for breaking his nose. After the first month of my integration into Pitbull, I completely stopped talking. After the second month, I lost all hope of ever getting out and after the next three months, I didn't care what happened to me. According to the psychologist, it had taken longer for me to be broken than any of the others in the program. The only thing that kept me going was the thought of killing one man in particular, and I thought about him every day since I arrived in Pitbull. When the door to my cell finally opened, my handler threw me a new set of sweat pants, socks, a t-shirt, and my PT shoes.

"Get ready for another fun filled day with your good pal," said my handler.

I could only glare at him because I risked getting shocked or beat if I said anything, not that I ever did say anything. He always wore a face mask with tinted eye protection and every time he spoke, he would always change his tone so that I would never find out what his real voice sounded like. I quickly got dressed and headed to the psych room where the psychologist sat me down and started asking me his usual questions to which I never gave any answers too. This guy annoyed me to the point where I just wanted to shut him up forever. He was the only person in the entire facility that did the psych evaluations for every other Pitbull inductee and I'm sure they all felt the same as I did. After I was done with this guy, my handler would usually take me to the gym where I'd continue my physical training and then to my psychological training where they stressed me on paying attention to detail and inspired me to be creative. They made me do everything from running obstacle courses, to CQC training, or close quarter's combat training, to spotting all the differences between two pictures. Everything was going as usual until someone barged in the room and started asking for me by name. _That voice…could it be?_ My handler and the psychologist didn't know it and I still remembered my name after they kept calling me 0118 after all this time. As the guy continued asking for me, I kept my cool and didn't look at him so that the others wouldn't realize the man was looking for me. I didn't know who he was, but two things started going through my mind: the first thing was for me to find out whom that guy was and the second, I had to escape. _Today is the day._

"Who are you looking for?" asked the psychologist.

"Some guy named Castillo. I was told to tell him that his mother is alive," said the familiar voice and my eyes widened at the news. _Is she really alive?_

"Get the hell out of here," said my handler.

I heard the man leave and the psychologist continued asking me his questions. "Are you hopeful about anything?"

I felt myself smirk and I looked up at him. "More than you know," I said and I stood up from my seat.

"I'm impressed it took you this long to finally say something," said the psychologist in amazement as he wrote something down on his clipboard.

"Sit your ass back down," shouted my handler and I heard him pull out his extendable baton. I kept standing and I turned around to face him. "I'm not going to tell you again. Sit down!"

I continued giving him an evil grin and I realized that my training was going to be my only advantage in order for me to escape. _These peoples' biggest mistake was teaching me how to kill_. My handler swung his baton down like he was going to hit my left shoulder and I side stepped to my right. I quickly grabbed his right forearm with both hands and I elbowed him in the nose, causing his tinted glasses to shatter. I swear I heard him starting to bitch about me breaking his nose again and I started laughing when I realized what I had done. I must've looked like a maniac when I continued to beat the crap out of him. I grabbed his baton and struck him in his right leg causing him to kneel down in pain and then I grabbed his gun. I spun around and double tapped the psychologist in the chest and then I turned the gun on my handler. After I shot him once in the leg, he collapsed onto the floor and I unloaded to rest of the bullets into his chest as he laid there. _Good-bye, 'Pal'._ I grabbed the rest of his ammo that he had on him, the baton, and the psychologist's key card and I ran out of the room into the hallway trying to find a way out of the facility. The concrete walls, lack of windows, and security doors made this place look like a prison rather than a research facility. One thing that I did notice about this place was that it was underground. It wasn't something that I deduced, but more like a gut feeling about.

As I turned one of the corners, I saw two guards running towards me with their weapons in hand. I quickly shot both of them in the shoulder before they could bring up their guns and they staggered back in pain. One of them turned around while he placed his hand on his wound but he still managed to stay on his feet while the other was down on one knee. I ran up behind the first guard with the gun in my right hand and baton in the left and I struck him in the left leg with the baton and followed up by hitting him in the head with my right knee. As soon as he fell back, I spun around and struck the other guard in his head with the butt of the gun. When I saw that both of them were unconscious, I continued running down the hallway trying to find a way out, but then an alarm went off._ I'll kill anyone on my way. _I came to a locked security door and I used the key card to open it, but there was a group of four guards waiting for me on the other side. I lifted my gun on the first guard but he quickly shoved it out of his way. He wasn't expecting me to break his arm with the baton and I tried hitting the second guard with it but he quickly grabbed my arm while the third guard quickly grabbed my other and pulled the gun out of my hand. The fourth guard pulled out a needle and filled it with what I assume was a sedative, but before he could move in and administer it to me, I kicked the second guard in the groin with my right leg and he released my left arm. I seized the opportunity to use the baton and hit the third guard in his ribcage. He also released me and I switched the baton into my right hand to hit him in the jaw. Before he collapsed to the ground, I grabbed the can of mace off his belt and sprayed the fourth guard in the face with it. As he staggered back, I took the needle out of his hand and stuck it in his neck to put him to sleep, or at least I thought he was sleeping. The first guard wasn't through yet and he tried shooting me but I dove out of the way and blinded him with the mace before I jumped and knocked him out with a spinning back kick. With those four guards out of the way, I took off trying to escape again but I was quickly intercepted by more guards.

My adrenaline was flowing and my mind was filled with thoughts of freedom. None of the guards were able to stop me and I wasn't keeping track of how many I killed or incapacitated. They were throwing everything at me from flash grenades to guns. One of them, even though I thought it was absolutely unnecessary, tried using a rocket launcher, but nothing was able to slow me down. I used their own weapons against them and I even used some of the guards as meat shields. I didn't care either. I just wanted to escape this hell hole so I kept going. I eventually made it to an elevator and I knew that I was getting closer to an exit. I took the elevator up and I used the moment to catch my breath. I noticed how much my hands were shaking and the blood that stained my clothes. I was seeing nothing but red and I almost didn't want to escape anymore. I wanted to stay and keep fighting. _No, keep fighting to escape! You're almost there. _The elevator was coming up to the top level of the facility and I prepared myself for whatever was next. I reloaded my gun and readied the baton, but before the elevator could get to the top, it stopped. I tried pressing some buttons to make it go again, but it wouldn't budge. I climbed up through the hatch on top of the elevator and holstered both of my weapons. I was almost at the top of the shaft and I started to climb up the elevator cables until I reached the top. I had to force the doors open using my hands and I was actually surprised I got them open. When I got through, I saw one guard standing between me and a set of double doors on the opposite side of a wide hallway. As I started walking towards him, I noticed that he wasn't like any of the other guards, he was my handler. _How is he still alive? I shot him six times in the chest. _I raised the gun one last time to finish him off but when I squeezed the trigger, the gun jammed.

"You're not getting out of here alive, you little shit," he said as he took off his vest and utility belt. "I'll kill you before I let that happen."

I threw the gun down and gripped the baton in my right hand. "I'm getting out of here one way or another," I growled.

"So you think. I now have orders to use deadly force on you," he said. "I knew I should've killed you the first time I saw you."

"Well there's nothing stopping you now," I said and I started running at him.

He ran towards me as well and we closed the distance pretty quickly. He attempted to hit me with a flying kick and I dodged it by sliding under him. I quickly got to my feet and ran towards him again while he had his back turned towards me, but he mule kicked me when I got close enough. I fell backwards and rolled onto my feet. I wasn't expecting him to turn the tables on me so quickly and I had to fend him off as best as I could. For a ten year old kid who's been forced to train nonstop for two years straight, I was holding my own rather well. My only advantages during the whole fight were my size, agility, and the baton I had. I fought as hard as I could to try and escape this whole facility, but eventually I messed up. My handler tried to round house kick me but I ducked in time to dodge it and he tried following up with a punch. I deflected it by hitting his arm with the baton and then I struck him in the abdomen, causing him to bend over. I tried to hit him in the head next but he caught my arm and kicked me in the head, causing me to stagger backwards. My handler had disarmed me and now I no longer had an advantage during this fight. I regained my balance just in time to see my handler jumping down on me to land an extremely hard punch on my jaw. Needless to say, I was on the floor with him kneeling over me while he continued to punch me over and over again. I tried fighting back but there was nothing I could do. After he hit me for the seventh time, I saw that he had a knife in his boot and I quickly grabbed it. Once I had it in my hand, I stabbed him in the thigh with it and then I pulled him closer so that I was able to stab him in the chest. My handler grunted in pain and after he took one last look at me, he fell over on the ground. I got up and started walking to the doors, hoping that this would finally be the end of my time at Pitbull. I didn't care where I went or what happened to me, I just wanted to be free and see that my mother was still alive. I was about to swipe the key card but then I hesitated because I didn't know what was on the other side of these doors. _There could be a whole firing line waiting to gun me down as soon as they see me. To hell with it, here it goes._ As I swiped the card, I suddenly felt someone's arm around my neck and sharp pain in my right shoulder blade. I let out a cry in pain and struggled to get loose of the person's grip.

"I told you that you weren't getting out of here alive," said my handler as he twisted his knife.

"Why won't you stay dead?" I grunted in pain.

I felt him yank out the knife from my back and I knew that he was going to try and stab me again so I quickly swung my leg back and up into his groin. I then got loose from his grip and elbowed where I had stabbed him in the chest. When I was facing him, I continued hammering away at his wounds and I assumed he was in a lot of pain by the way he grunted every time I hit him. With one final effort, my handler tried running his knife through me one last time, but I was able to deflect it and break his wrist so that I was able to grab hold of it. Once I had it, I stabbed him three more times in the chest before I let him collapse to the floor and bleed out. I looked over my handler's lifeless body as I placed my left hand over my wound. I wanted to see who he really was but I didn't see the point to it anymore. I walked away from my handler and proceeded to open the doors. To my complete and utter disappointment, there were a bunch of people waiting for me on the other side. _Dammit. _A man wearing quarantine equipment shot me in the neck with some kind of dart and a couple of other people quickly grabbed me to break my fall, but I wasn't through fighting yet. I didn't know who they were and I struggled to break loose of their hold as I started fading out. Before I completely blacked out, I punched the closest person as hard as I could but it didn't do me much good.

"Calm down, Kid. I got you," said the familiar voice. "You're going to be okay."

**December 3, 2010 0738hrs Nagase Residence**

I woke up in a sweat and I felt a great deal of pain swelling from my right hand. I started shaking it and rubbed it to numb the pain. I looked at my hand as I rubbed it and saw small chunks of drywall on my knuckles and I started to wonder where they came from. That's when I noticed a hole in the wall. _Oh no, this isn't going to easy to explain._ I heard someone running down the hallway towards my room and saw that it was Kei after she burst through the door. She looked like an angel wearing her white silk nightgown.

"What was that noise?" she asked.

I couldn't answer her because I felt bad enough as it was. I covered my nose and mouth with both of my hands because I was so embarrassed. I had accidentally punched a hole in the wall in my sleep and I had no idea how I was going to explain it to Sora. Kei brought her hands to her mouth in astonishment at what I had done and I didn't know if she was laughing or if she was just in that much shock.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to. I'll pay for the damages," I said.

"What damages?" asked Sora as she entered the room.

I face palmed myself when Sora saw the hole in her wall and she looked like she was just as shocked as Kei, if not, more shocked. She could only look at me in horror and I fell back on the bed with my arms over my eyes. "I'm so sorry, Sora. I'll pay for the damages," I said.

I called a contractor after Sora stormed out of the room, cursing me under her breath. _I guess it's a good thing Kei and I slept separately last night. _The guy said he'd be over later today and I paid him in advance. With that out of the way, I decided it was time for me to start the day. I got a clean set of clothes out from my duffel bag and I headed into the bathroom to take a shower. I took my shirt off and I looked at both of the scars on my back but mainly at the one on my right shoulder blade. It was the only thing left in the world that reminded me of my handler and I despised looking at it. I ran my fingers along where my handler's knife had penetrated my skin and I flashed back to when he stabbed me. I grunted in pain and I started breathing heavily, trying to keep quiet so that neither Kei nor her mother could hear me. I quickly turned on the shower to drown out the sounds of my breathing. Once I was able to calm down, I got into the shower and started washing my hair, but then I heard the bathroom door open.

"Antonio," I heard Kei call.

I peeked out from behind the shower curtain to see her sticking her head inside the bathroom door. "Did you need something?" I asked.

"I heard you grunting like you were in pain. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I said quietly as I retreated back behind the shower curtain. "I'm just…thinking."

"About the dream you had last night?"

I paused in surprise at her claim. _How did she know I was dreaming last night? _I guess me punching a hole in the wall was evidence enough but I wasn't entirely sure. "Yeah, it was about how I got my other scar. How did you know I was dreaming?"

I heard Kei enter all the way in and she leaned against the sink. "I tried visiting you in the middle of the night and I saw you stirring in your sleep. Last time it happened was when we were in Oured and I heard you say 'those green eyes'," said Kei.

"I see," I said in understanding.

"Antonio, I need you to be completely honest with me. How did you really get that scar?"

The way Kei asked me to be honest with her moved me in such a way so that I couldn't refuse her request. I washed the shampoo out of my hair before I told her about my escape attempt from Pitbull, how my handler had stabbed me in the back, and how I fought back as hard as I could. Kei seemed to be inspired by my escape but fearful at the same time.

"Why do you sound like you're ashamed of what happened?" she asked.

It was one of the questions that I never wanted to be asked because it was the day I made one of the biggest personal mistakes of my life. "Because I didn't confirm the death of my handler," I said in quiet anger. "He's still alive and I should've made sure that he was dead when I had the chance."

"Where is he now?" asked Kei.

"No one knows. Scuttlebutt says that he changed his identity and vanished," I told her as I turned off the water. I grabbed my towel to dry myself off and pulled on my pants on while I was still behind the shower curtain. After I was done, I stepped out of the bathtub to see Kei still wearing her white nightgown and I thought she would've changed by now, not that I had a problem with how she looked. Kei moved in to hug me and I was caught off guard with how unexpected it was. She wrapped her arms around my back and placed her head on my chest as I was putting on my belt.

"I don't want you to go after him like you did that pilot," begged Kei. I rarely gave any thought about going after my handler because most of my hatred has been focused on Green. Kei felt me nod so that she knew I wasn't going to look for him. I placed one of my hands on the back of her head and the other on her back and we both held each other for dear life. I never wanted to let go, but as we both knew, all good things come to an end. I was running my fingers through Kei's hair when we heard a knock on the bathroom door.

"Kei, I don't know what you and Antonio are doing in there but you better not be doing what I think you're doing," said Sora from the other side of the door.

Kei lifted her head off my chest and looked at me as I smiled in disappointment. She was blushing uncontrollably and I kissed her on the forehead before she let me go and left so that I could finish getting dressed. Unlike Kei, it only took me a couple minutes for me to get dressed, brush my teeth, and shave. Once I got out of the bathroom, Kei stepped right in and started her long and tedious pampering process. I was heading down the hallway when I walked by Kei's room. I wasn't usually nosey but I took a look inside and noticed a couple of things that really caught my attention, like the PlayStation 3 that sat on the table next to her TV, and an extremely worn down volley ball with signatures all over, it sitting on her dresser. I looked at the stack of games she had on a shelf and I noticed that she mostly had fighting games like Tekken and Soulcalibur. I'm pretty sure that she had the old Nintendo versions of Sky Kid and Rolling Thunder sitting next to one of her gymnastics trophies and Pac Man figurines. _Oh my goodness, my girlfriend is a gamer. The only thing that can make it better is if she plays paintball or airsoft._ I couldn't help but smile when I thought about how Kei and I seemed like were a match made in heaven. I headed back down the hallway where I sat in the living room with my duffel bag and checked my e-mail on my phone while I waited. I noticed that my mom had replied to my message and she thanked me for remembering her birthday. She also mentioned that she heard from Amanda too and it made me smile knowing that mom knew that we were alright.

"What are you looking at, Antonio?"

I looked up to see Sora enter the living room and she sat down on the sofa adjacent to me. "Just an e-mail my mother sent me. Her birthday was two days ago and she just wanted to thank me for remembering," I said. "Listen, I'm sorry about the hole in your wall."

"It's alright. Accidents happen," she replied. "I've been meaning to talk with you again."

"About what," I asked.

"I… was hoping you'd be able to tell me about how my daughter has been acting since this war began."

"It's not something I can easily gauge. Sometimes, she'll be completely ruthless or hesitant and other times, she'll be the most carefree person I know. But after Chopper died, we all seemed to be distracted lately."

"How did Kei react?" asked Sora.

"When I looked over to see how Kei was doing during the fight, she was ruthlessly gunning for every enemy pilot that crossed her path. I think she was in a bigger blind rage than I was."

I continued telling Sora about what it's been like flying with Kei and how she's been handling the stress of the war. By the look on her face, Sora was obviously worried about her daughter. I didn't know if it was because of how much blood was on Kei's hands or that she thought that Kei enjoyed it. Kei and I both enjoyed the rush we got when we fought for our lives, but we didn't have a death wish.

"It's clear that my daughter is dedicated to you, Antonio," said Sora.

"So is the rest of my team, ma'am."

"I see, but they don't love you like Kei does. She'll willingly die for you."

"And I'd do the same for her," I said boldly.

"You're putting both of your lives in danger with morals like this."

I had an idea of what Sora was trying to get at, but I wanted to be sure of what she was trying to get through to me. I had my defense already prepared in my head and I wasn't going to be swayed so easily. I wished Kei were here to side with me on this while I set my phone on the coffee table_._ "How so," I asked.

"If my daughter see's that you're in the smallest bit of trouble, she'd sacrifice herself needlessly to save you," said Sora.

"Kei knows that I can hold my own in a fight and she knows how to look out for herself," I said confidently. "No one in my team is a rookie and they know how to ask for help when they're in trouble."

"If that were true, then wouldn't your wingman still be alive?" said Sora.

My eyes widened in shock because I wasn't expecting Sora to hit me with a low blow like that. My shock was quickly replaced by anger and wanted to retaliate at her outrageous comment about Chopper. I clenched my fist in frustration and tried to keep my temper in check. I glared at Sora before I said anything and it was clear that she knew I didn't appreciate. "If it wasn't for him, Kei would be dead," I retorted. I was hoping Sora would realize that she was wrong for insulting me and Chopper, but she continued ridiculing me.

"Why couldn't you save her?" she asked like she was putting me on the spot.

_You bitch! _"Because I was being chased by the man that killed your husband," I growled. Sora leaned back in shock when I mentioned Green and I waited for her to respond. For the first time since I met her, Sora was at a loss for words and I was eagerly waiting for her to say something. Her eyes were wide open and she had her hand placed over her mouth and her other placed over her chest. She made it seem like she was going to have a heart attack knowing that the man who killed her husband was still alive. "And he would've killed your daughter if Chopper hadn't stepped in so don't you dare insult him," I added.

I knew she would ask how it all happened and I told her the exact same story that I had told Chopper's parents. Sora was still in shock about what I was telling her. It took her a minute to gather her thoughts on how she was going to respond and when she finally did, she wanted to get her original thoughts through to me.

"You endangered my daughter's life by trying to fight that man," said Sora. "She's one of the few important things I have left in this world."

Sora made it seem like she valued her family more than anything, even more than the lives of others. I started thinking back to when my whole family was alive and how we all were before the Curtis attack. Out of every one of them, my father stood out most of all. From what I remembered of him, he was harder on me than any of my other siblings for some reason even though I'll never know why, but I really missed him. I felt like I needed his wisdom to help me get through the rest of this war with my the rest of my friends and I started wishing I has his sarcasm to help me deal with the stresses of life. I wanted to hear him say that he was proud of me at least once.

"I don't want to hear that my daughter died in your place," said Sora.

"I don't want her to die for me either," I said. "Regardless if I want her to or not, she'll risk her life for me."

"Then make her…"

"It's not up for debate, Sora," I said, cutting her off. "She swore to herself that she'd never lose another flight lead and whether you realize it or not, that promise is the only thing that's been keeping her going. I mean everything to her."

"Well she and her sister, Reiko, mean everything to me."

"You don't think I know that?!" I exclaimed softly. "When we're out on the frontlines fighting, we have the lives of sons, daughters, mothers, and fathers in front of us and behind us. They're people just like us and we're responsible for the deaths of hundreds of them. They were all important to someone."

I wasn't trying to say that Kei wasn't special, but that our foes were people just like us. Now that the Osean army was further inside the Yuktobanian mainland, the Yukes would try to defend their homeland even harder to protect their families. If Yuktobania invaded the Osean mainland, I'd try my hardest to keep the Yukes from advancing further inland.

"I don't care about the others, I only care about my daughter," said Sora.

It was clear that Sora was only concerned about her family and no one else. I started to understand why she fled to Erusea after the Curtis attack. I doubted that she felt any regrets when she realized the consequences of the deal she made to become an Erusean citizen. Whether she knew it or not, she was responsible for the deaths of just as many people as I was, maybe even more. I wanted to rub that in her face but it became evident that it wouldn't faze her. I sighed heavily because I realized just how narrow minded Kei's mother was.

"I'll make sure Kei lives through this war," I said hoping that that would be the end of it.

"That's all I want," said Sora and she got up and left me alone in the living room.

I continued to wait for Kei and all I could think about was her mother and how she wasn't what I expected anymore. I didn't know if Kei knew she was like this or if I should even mention this conversation we had. After much consideration, I decided to just keep it to myself. When Kei finally came out of the bathroom, she told me that she was almost ready to head out but she had to talk with her mother first. I didn't move from my spot and I tried listening intensely to their conversation, but I could only make out bits and pieces of it. I tried putting it all together and I was assuming that Sora was telling her about Green, but I didn't know for sure. One of them was clearly upset when I heard one of their voices starting to rise.

"It's…like he's…us and besides, he's…reason…alive," I heard Kei say.

"But…..back? What…..I going…Reiko?" replied Sora.

"I…..know….her. It's…..to care…now this?"

"You'll…..understand….left…lost…once…you again."

"Well I guess that's too bad you left the first time," said Kei as she stormed out of the kitchen and went to her room.

Kei didn't even look my way when she walked by and it was obvious that she was mad. Sora walked out a few seconds after with her hand over her mouth. I didn't want to become involved in their family issues so I kept my mouth shut. _Was Kei usually like this with her mother? _Kei never talked about her mother other than the day before Chopper died. After a couple minutes, Kei came out of her room with her bag in hand, ready to go.

"Let's go," said Kei like she was annoyed.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"Yeah, I just want to rejoin the others ASAP so we can get back to Sand Island."

I grabbed my bag and followed her out the front door, but Sora stopped me before I got off the front porch. Kei was already putting her things inside the car and she gave me and Sora an annoyed look. Now I really wanted to know what was going on.

"Antonio-san, promise me, please, promise me that you won't let Kei put herself into any unnecessary danger while she's flying with you."

I didn't know what to tell her. I always kept my promises, but this kind of promise was something that I knew that I couldn't keep. I never made promises in combat because I knew that anything could happen, just like when Chopper died.

"I'll try my best," I replied and with that, I left and got into the car with Kei.

Kei drove the entire way back to McNealy in complete silence. I knew something was bothering her and I figured it wasn't something that she'd want to talk about. My aviators allowed me to subtly glance at her every now and then, but I couldn't get good enough read on her. Her sunglasses covered her eyes and she had a blank expression on her face the whole time. I tried starting up a conversation with her and she quickly ended it by giving me short answers like 'yeah', 'no', and 'oh'. I finally just gave up on communicating with her for the rest of the ride back to the hotel. When we finally made it back, Kei just stayed in bed for the rest of the day while I sat next to her and watched people being stupid on reality TV. I got bored rather quickly so I decided to go check on the others. I ran into Grimm first while he was walking out of his room. He was about to head to lunch with Erica, Michelle, and Kyle and he even invited Kei and me along with them, but I declined after I told them that Kei wasn't in the best of moods.

"Is she okay?" asked Kyle.

"I don't know. She didn't say anything the entire way back here," I replied. "Anyways, where's Justin?"

"We don't know, he left yesterday to visit Chopper's parents but he hasn't come back yet, sir," said Grimm.

I was somewhat concerned about Justin not being here and it worried me that Chopper's death was taking its toll on him. When the others left for lunch, I headed into the motel room with Kei and sat back in the recliner that was sitting in the corner. Kei was already sleeping on the bed and I noticed that she usually slept when she was mad. I pulled out my phone and noticed that I had a new e-mail from Captain Hamilton. He told me that Justin had requested permission to be reassigned to Cape Landers AFB. I found it very hard to believe because Cape Landers was where potential pilots took their written evaluations before they even set foot in a plane. That was the only reason Wardog was assigned to intercept the SR-71 at the beginning of the war. _Wait a minute, how in the hell did Yuktobania get their hands on an SR-71? That was an American made plane and only a couple countries on Strangereal had connections with the US and Yuktobania wasn't one of them._ I knew the events of that day were supposed to remain classified but I had to tell Lt. Colonel Harkin about it. I sent him an e-mail explaining everything and I even asked him to keep me in the loop if something came up, not that he actually would but it didn't hurt to ask. The day went on and I did nothing but think about some of the things that bothered me about this war. The Yuke SR-71, the fact that Yuktobania knew everything Osea had planned at the beginning of the war, the 8492nd squadron, my plane being found in Yuktobania, and even the President's escalation of the war. That bothered me most of all. President Harling wouldn't have pressed a hardline war like this with our current generals leading the troops this aggressively. All of this was wrong and I wanted to get to the bottom of it all. I figured this was a question everyone should be asking and what better way to get a message out like that than the media. I never thought that I'd ever turn to Genette for help of any kind but now, I needed him.

I looked at my watch and noticed how late it was. I spent five hours just sitting in that recliner thinking to myself. Kei was still sleeping peacefully on the bed and I wasn't planning on disturbing her. I placed my hoodie over her as she laid there and then headed out of the hotel room after I grabbed my leather jacket. I had no idea where I was going or what to do, but I just decided to go for a walk around town. The cold air felt great and the street lights reminded me of the nights I spent wandering around campus when I went to college. After walking around town for a few minutes, I ended up in a pub that was packed with OADF Airmen, though none of them seemed to pay me any mind. I just thought it was because my picture was rare when it came to Genette's articles about us. They were all drinking and having a good time with their friends while I was sitting alone at the bar, wishing I had someone I could open up to or at least give me a boost in moral. It was then that I ordered two shots of scotch and I set one of them aside like I was waiting for someone to join me. I would've given anything to hear Chopper bitch about something one last time.

_You know I prefer vodka or rum, right? _

"Well I already bought us the drinks, Davenport," I said to myself as I held my shot glass between my fingers.

_I thought you didn't drink, Kid._

"Only when I want to get away from reality and right now is one of those times."

_Come on, Kid, I might be gone but that shouldn't mean you should feel sorry for yourself. You did what you had to so that you could keep those people safe and you can't keep dwelling on the past because you made the right decision whether you know it or not. Keep moving forward for the sake of the others._

"It's my fault you're dead, Davenport. It wasn't an easy decision for me to make and I'm sorry."

_You did what you had to for the right reasons. I did what I had to do to keep you, our Captain, alive so the others could continue to follow your lead._

"But is it worth it? I don't know what we're fighting for anymore and with everything that's happened so far in this war, I don't think there's a good enough reason."

_Kid, we said we'd follow you to the end. You might've been leading us blind this whole time but we've had your back every step of the way. If you don't want to fight anymore, we'd be happy to support you, but I know now that there's a personal reason as to why you keep fighting. He'll be back for you and the others, and when you see him again, you'll show that son of a bitch that you're the best damn pilot that anyone has ever seen._

"Amen to that, bro," I said chuckling to myself as I drank my shot of scotch and poured Chopper's on the ground.

_By the way, you know that Grimm and Nelms have been following you, right? _

"I'm aware of that."

I stayed seated at the bar as I looked into the mirror so that I could see everyone in the pub. I noticed Grimm was sitting in the corner with Kyle as they shot glances over at me. They must've been worried about me because they would've let me know that they were here. I really wished that they had decided to join me but they were obviously trying to make sure I didn't do anything stupid. After I paid for my drinks I got up to leave the bar and walked by Grimm and Kyle and they both pretended not to notice me.

"You both need to be more subtle when you're tailing someone," I said as I walked by.

"Captain, wait," said Grimm and I stopped dead in my tracks. "Are you okay?"

I stood there for a couple seconds before I turned to look at them. I guess they must've seen me talking to myself because they both looked at me, worried. I took a seat at their table and spelled out everything out in front of them. All my concerns, all my doubts about our leaders, and my doubts about this war were now revealed to two of my team members but both of them remained skeptical of me for the most part, except for when I shared my concern about the squadron that left us to die over November City.

"What about that one pilot that mentioned you, Captain Davenport, and Captain Nagase by name?" asked Grimm.

"Who mentioned you by name?" asked Kyle.

"The guy who killed half of my family fourteen years ago," I replied gloomily.

Grimm looked at me in shock now knowing that I had a personal vendetta with Green that began long before I knew anyone from my team. I told them the whole story, exactly the same way I had told Kei. Grimm and Kyle listened intensely as I told them what happened that day. I didn't mention my involvement in Project Pitbull or how I flew as Mobius 1, but I felt like they'd find out eventually. I could see that Kyle was starting to become hesitant of me as I went on to tell them about how Green and I met over Basset and when I fought with him over Apito International. That's when he couldn't hold his tongue any longer.

"You risked Rockford's life just so you could settle a personal score with the man who killed your family," he lashed out.

I didn't say anything while I let him vent and scold me for risking his girlfriend's life. "It was either her or everyone else. I make no apologies for doing what I had to do to keep him at bay. Plus, I didn't know it was him until I had already disabled his plane and taken stock of the situation, Nelms," I retaliated.

"You still should've considered the fact that she was with you! You could've…"

"Lay off him, Captain Nelms. He knew what he was doing," interrupted Grimm. "Regardless of whether or not he intentionally put 1st Lt. Rockford's life in danger, he did what he had to so that we could all live to see another day."

Kyle looked away because he knew that Grimm was right, but he began to accept it. No one on my team had any real reason to follow me but here they were, behind me up until now. No matter how bad things seemed to get, we all kept going. I'd like to think that was the reason they followed me and why they supported me. I know Chopper wouldn't have wanted me to stop doing what I've been doing and I decided from here on out, I'd continue on for everyone that Green had killed and the rest of my team. Even if I didn't know what I was fighting for anymore, I had to keep moving forward for their sake. I had to look out for the others.

**December 5, 2010 1024hrs Sand Island AFB**

We arrived back yesterday afternoon from McNealy. I was kind of disappointed that I didn't get to see my mother, but I just figured that I'd see her again sometime later. Justin had to stay behind so that he could continue with his transfer to Cape Landers. I didn't like it any more than the others and now it was only down to the six of us. I had finally come clean with the rest of them and now they knew about Green and my vendetta against him. Michelle and Erica took it as best they could and I told everyone that I wanted this information to stay strictly within Wardog squadron. After we came back to Sand Island, I found out that my X-02 was already shipped off somewhere and Pops had no idea where it was headed. If that wasn't bad enough, I was called into Colonel Perrault's office so he could give me the details about out next mission that we were to be sent on tomorrow. I would've liked to have avoided the exchange of insults with him. He started it by threatening to write me up if I didn't get my hair cut. I didn't say anything other than that I'd get to it when I could and I guess he took my response as sarcasm by the way he responded to my comment. One thing led to another and in the end I was written up after I told the Colonel that he was the biggest pile of rat shit I've ever seen. It was totally worth it.

The information Perrault gave me told me that our next mission involved providing CAS while our forces attacked Cruik Fortress. I spent all morning looking over the recon photos of the ground forces' next objective and read the reports of the last two failed attempts on the enemy stronghold on my laptop while I sat against the main hangers on the flight line with Kirk. I even tried looking over the surrounding area to see if there was any weakness for our allies to exploit but the only way through the mountains was through the fortress itself. _Why couldn't the allies have just pushed harder further east or west of the frontlines? _The road was fortified with pillboxes that over looked the front entrance of the fortress and it was guarded by several more bunkers and a thick-ass wall. Airstrikes could easily take care of the bunkers if we could get past their air defenses. Normally I wouldn't be worried but after reading that high altitude bombing raids and the CAS from the first assault were cut to ribbons by the AA defenses and the fighter squadrons that were stationed there, I was full of concern. What's worse, Wardog was the only squadron available to lend air support. The circular structure of the coliseum reminded me a lot of Stonehenge. It didn't have the huge rail guns or the jamming facilities, but instead, it had a runway with aircraft hangers built into the sides of the surrounding mountains and several more bunkers overlooking the main coliseum. Our ground forces were going to be in the fight for their lives if we didn't take care of the bunkers first and Wardog would be in trouble if we didn't take out their air defenses first. The more I looked at the fortress, the more frustrated I grew and eventually I closed my laptop. It would've been a hell of a lot easier to tackle the fortress the first time if our allies had some kind of artillery support coming from fire bases they could've set up on one of the mountains around the base, but I guess that would be too difficult to set up.

"Jeez, Kirk, why is it that the brass always ask us to do the impossible?" I asked as I patted Kirk's head.

"What did they ask you to do this time, Blaze?"

"Kirk," I said looking at him befuddled.

"Over here, Captain."

I looked to my right and saw Erica walking towards me. This was the first time I've seen her without Grimm being by her side. "Hey, Boldman, what's up?" I asked.

"Just wondering what you were up to," said Erica.

"I'm just thinking about how much we need more pilots in our military. With our next mission being as impossible as it seems, we sure could use some help," I said as I rubbed my face with my hands.

"I'm sure it can't be as bad as sinking the Hrimfaxi or Operation Footprint," said Erica as she sat next to me.

"Oh, really," I mocked as I opened my laptop back up and showed her the photos of Cruik Fortress. Erica's enthusiastic smile vanished when I pointed out everything that was wrong with this mission and how we'd be knee deep in trouble without help. I was starting to wish Grimm was here for a boost in moral by telling me that I knew what I was doing and how we could pull this off.

"Why are we the only ones being sent in?" asked Erica.

"Because all other squadrons are being sent to support other allied operations along the frontlines," I said. "The brass thinks that this will draw attention away from the assault on the fortress."

"We're so screwed. Do you have any idea as to how you want to carry out this mission?" asked Erica.

"Well, I thought about having Kei or Grimm flying an A-10 so that way they could take care of the AA defenses while I provide top cover with an F-22. The last person would be flying an F-15 to cover the air and ground."

"Hans and I could fly the F-15. We've been working on our synergy ever since we all got back from Oured."

"Really," I said thinking to myself.

"Yeah, so what's your call going to be, Blaze?" asked Erica.

I thought long and hard about how we were going to carry out this mission tomorrow. If we had one more pilot with us, then I would've split us up into two elements to deal with the fortress defenses, but seeing as that was no longer an option, I had to make do with what I had. Besides that, I actually had a one on one conversation with Erica for the first time ever. As pretty as she was, I would've never thought that she was a physics nerd. Grimm was one lucky guy to have hooked up with her. When I asked her what field she wanted to go into, she said she wanted to go into experimental physic and then proceeded to try and explain String Theory to me. I got lost within the first few seconds and I could only smile and nod as she went on to talk about it.

"So where's Grimm?" I asked in an attempt to change the subject.

"He's meeting with Captain Hamilton about something. I'm hoping it's about him finally becoming a 2nd Lieutenant," said Erica.

"I'm pretty sure it is."

"How can you be sure though? Colonel Perrault seems to have it out for us and keeping that out of Hans's reach seems to be the only way Perrault can stick it to him. Even with Captain Hamilton's help," said Erica.

"Come on, it's Captain Hamilton. He's been reasonable with everyone, including Colonel Perrault," I said.

"Sure, I guess," shrugged Erica. "I didn't think it would take them this long to get Hans's papers processed."

"Does he want to become a 2nd Lieutenant that badly?"

"Nah, he's fine with his rank as long as it doesn't keep him from flying. I wish that he'd hurry up and become an officer so that he'd stop calling me 'ma'am' half the time. It got really weird after a while," said Erica and I laughed awkwardly. "It's not funny, Captain."

"When you think about it, you got him on a leash. I find that kind of sad," I said.

"What's so sad about it? It's not like I order him to…"

"Please don't finish that sentence," I said cutting her off

"Right, sorry," said Erica and she was quiet for a little bit. We both sat there and petted Kirk until she finally said something. "Captain, can I ask you a personal question?"

"Sure," I said.

"What's your honest opinion about this war?" asked Erica.

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, I was thinking back to the day after the cook out we had and I remember talking with Chopper about this war and he pointed some things out about you." I was nervous about what she was going to bring up because I knew Chopper was able to read me like an open book. "What are your true feelings about this war?"

I thought long and hard about whether or not I should tell her but first thing's first. "Erica, I need a straight 'yes' or 'no' answer from you. Do you trust me?"

Erica seemed hesitant to answer my question, but I needed to know. "Yes, why do you ask?"

I looked around to make sure that we were alone and then I proceeded to tell Erica about all my concerns about this war. I told her that I thought the Yuke's knowledge of all of our military plans at the beginning of the war, the voices we heard when the Yuktobanian College was attacked, and the attack on November City were all somehow connected to each other. I could tell that it was hard for her to fathom but she came to understand what I was talking about. I told her to keep what I told her strictly between her and me because I didn't want anyone suspecting me of anything in case I was wrong. I also remembered that I had to go talk to Genette. We got up off the ground and went to find him so that way I could enlist his help. He was sitting in the crew room, going over his notes while he read some of the reports that Captain Hamilton had let him look through. _I bet he doesn't know that he's not supposed to be reading those._ I called Genette over and he followed me and Erica outside and onto the flight line so that no one on the base would be able to hear what I wanted to say to him.

"What's going on, Captain?" he asked.

"First off, I need to know if you have any friends in the capitol," I said.

"Of course I do, why?"

"How soon can you get in contact with them?"

"I have a number of friends in the Capitol. It might take me some time to get in touch with all of them. What's going on?"

"Genette, what I'm going to ask you to do next could greatly influence the public's opinion on this war and I need your help," I said urgently.

"What do you need?"

"I need you to find the President."

**December 6, 2010 1251hrs 20 miles south of Cruik Fortress, Yuktobania**

Things didn't turn out the way that I had planned for Wardog. I was flying my F-22 with the Mobius insignia still painted on with Grimm flying an F/A-18F Super Hornet and Kei flying an F-15C. We had to fly straight to Cruik Fortress and then fly straight back after we refueled for our return trip back to Sand Island. I was armed with six sidewinders, six AMRAAMs, and two external fuel tanks. Grimm was armed with six Mavericks, two sidewinders, two AMRAAMs, and an external fuel tank and Kei was armed with four sidewinders, six Mavericks, six JDAMs, and two external fuel tanks.

The A-10 didn't have the range to make it to our AO and Kei had to fly a single seat F-15 because Captain Hamilton ordered all F-15Es to be grounded for maintenance. I called bullshit on the whole situation and it was the first time I ever saw a scowl on Captain Hamilton's face. It would've made sense if we could've flown to a closer airfield and prepped for our mission there, but we had to spend almost a full day in the air just to make the brass happy. _I swear, if I ever become a General in command of an air unit, I'd run it a hell of a lot better than these old farts. _We had just rendezvoused with the first tanker of the day and refueled before we commenced with our mission.

"It doesn't feel right flying like this," said Kei.

"Why, are you already missing your RIO," I joked, trying to avoid what Kei was getting at.

"That's not what I meant," said Kei. "I mean just the four of us. It doesn't feel right flying without Chopper's banter."

"I know… I'm just trying not to think about it," I replied softly.

"I bet he's laughing at our misfortune right now," said Grimm and I could feel Kei glaring at him. "But I'm sure he'd still be worried about us."

"I know, I just wish he was here to complain about it," said Kei.

"He'd be complaining about more than just this mission, ma'am. Like the fact that it's Monday."

"Hell, he would've complained if it was Saturday," replied Erica with a chuckle.

"Listen, can we please stop talking?" I asked softly. "Just… just let him rest."

I wasn't trying to be mean about it or anything. It was just that I didn't want to think about the others to get distracted and we needed all of our focus on a mission as hazardous as this one. We flew the rest of the way towards our AO in silence and I mentally prepared myself for what was ahead. We finally got within range to hear the radio transmissions from our allies on the ground. I guess the news that we'd be the ones providing CAS was a huge boost to their moral. We had to save as many as we could while trying to look out for ourselves. The enemy forces were so confident in their defenses that they even sent a message to the Lt. Colonel in charge of the entire operation. He was confident enough to begin the operation as soon as he saw us approaching them. No sooner did he commence the attack were we faced with two enemy JAS-39 Gripens coming at us from head on. I was honestly expecting Su-35s or the usual MiG variants but I guess they didn't have them on station. _Here we go!_ I ordered Kei and Grimm to break off and provide cover for the ground forces while I provided them with top cover. As I came head on with both Gripens, I fired a missile at one of them and dove below the last one. I looked back and saw him banking his plane left and right, trying to find me but it was no use. I kept my eye on him as I watched Kei and Grimm destroy the enemy pillboxes that hindered the allied advance. AA fire was lighting them up left and right but they managed to weave through it just fine. The second Gripen saw both of them flying through the valley and dove on Grimm. I quickly intercepted him, lined him up in my gun sight, and sent a volley of lead into his right wing. He spiraled into the side of a mountain and crashed near the one of the pillboxes near the front entrance of the fortress.

"Blaze, we're taking too much fire from below. We have to suppress the AA guns," said Kei.

"I know, Edge. Grimm, orbit the Fortress at ten thousand feet and have Birdy thin out the AA defenses with those AGMs," I said. "Boldman, you have to take them out PDQ if we're going to help out the ground forces advance in time."

"Roger that, Blaze," replied Erica and they got to work.

"What should I do for now, Blaze?" asked Kei.

"Keep attacking those bunkers. I don't want those tanks stopping for anything," I said.

I kept my eye on Grimm and Erica as they launched their AGMs on the AA guns while I drew their fire away from Grimm's F-18. The runway was still clear of enemy fighters so I wasn't as worried about enemy fighters just yet. I still felt useless though. Kei was doing what she could to support the ground forces by attacking tanks and enemy fortifications that our allies had painted with laser designators and colored smoke grenades. Fer-de-lance was the first unit to make it to the gate followed by King Cobra and they were requesting permission to proceed into the fortress but I advised against it. Erica had finally destroyed the AA defenses which allowed Kei to move in and suppress the remaining two bunkers guarding the front entrance of the fortress. Fer-de-lance again tried requesting permission to head inside the fortress and again, I advised against it because of a large enemy force that was lying in wait for them. Kei managed to destroy two of the enemy tanks that were waiting before the ground forces ignored my orders and advanced forward. One of our tanks had taken a direct hit from one of the remaining enemy tanks and it stopped dead in its tracks. A squad of Osean soldiers tried following the first tank and they were quickly mowed down by enemy machine gun fire. I could see their faces twist in pain as bullets ripped into them. I tried to hold back my grief and anger but I felt my eyes watering up. _Those fools, I warned them. _I circled around and lined up for a strafing run on the enemy tanks and sent a good amount of bullets into them before the rest of our allied tanks moved in to finish the job. The bunkers that overlooked the main coliseum opened up on the ground forces with everything they had. Anti-tank rounds and artillery shells were being fired at them from every direction. Our foot soldiers ran for the tunnel entrances that led further inside the fortress to help hinder the enemy's defense efforts. I continued circling overhead while I watched the ground operation's progress. Kei and Grimm were doing what they could to help but the enemy defenses were overwhelming. I was about to head in and try to help out but I noticed multiple hits on my radar headed right for us. Using my Raptor's stealth advantage, I dove for the deck and approached the enemy formation from below. As the formation of five enemy fighters flew overhead, I pulled up and got behind the trailing enemy JAS-39. I sent a burst from my gun into his engines and sent a sidewinder into the flight leads fuselage. The remaining three fighters scattered as they tried looking for me. I climbed into a thin layer of clouds as I kept my eye on them. One of the enemy planes tried going after Kei and I quickly sent an AMRAAM his way. He didn't know where the attack was coming from and he didn't try maneuvering out of the way. The remaining two JAS-39s dove for the deck and egressed out of the area.

I opened the wideband radio channel to listen in on the enemy communications, hoping that I could gather some information on their plans to commence a counter attack. The Yuke ground forces inside the fortress were panicking because they knew that the Demons of Razgriz were here. I also heard that the enemy fighter squadrons were about to take off and join the fray. I quickly looked towards the hangers at the end of the fortress runway and saw half a dozen fighters preparing for takeoff. I slammed the throttle all the way forward and headed to intercept them before they could take off. I tried lining them up in my gun sight but I wasn't able to catch them in time. I pulled a high G turn so that I could get behind the last enemy fighter as he took off. As he clawed for altitude, he stalled out and fell to the ground, tail first. I flew past him because it looked like he was going to crash and I latched onto the next enemy fighter that I saw. He saw me coming and dove into the coliseum in an attempt to try and shake me. I followed him as he weaved in and out of the support columns that held up the fortress runway. I waited for this guy to screw up but he knew what he was doing. I was fighting on his terms and I was falling for it. I had to turn the tables on him quickly before I screwed up, but then I remembered Kei and Grimm. I broke off of my target and gained altitude to find the others when I saw more enemy tanks rolling out into the coliseum to engage the ground forces. I then saw Grimm dive out of nowhere and fire an AGM right on top of one of them while he was being chased by an enemy plane.

"Grimm, watch your back," I shouted and he started his evasive maneuvers.

I kept my eye on him in case Grimm wasn't able to shake his attacker, but my concern was quickly elevated after the Yuke pilot kept pace with Grimm after half a minute. I was about to head in and help him out when I was bounced from above by another enemy fighter. I pulled back hard on the stick and performed a Super Kulbit to throw off his attack, but it didn't. _These guys are good._ I dove for the deck, trying to escape but I couldn't get away. I tried bringing him closer so that way I could perform the barrel roll that has yet to fail me, but he kept his distance. I wasn't letting him get a missile lock on me and I used the opportunity to help Grimm.

"Whoa, this guy's good!" he exclaimed as I closed in on the enemy fighter.

"But not good enough," I said.

Grimm led his pursuer into a tight left climbing spiral and I followed them while my attacker was still gunning for me. _Come on sweetheart, where are you?_ My target was almost right on top of Grimm and I almost had him in my sights. When I finally had a missile lock on him, I let a missile off the rail and watched it rip his plane in half. As soon as I cleared Grimm's tail, my pursuer sent a missile towards me. I let loose a set of flares to throw off the missile and I tried snap rolling to the right to continue evading my attacker, but I lost too much airspeed in the climb and I couldn't maneuver into a dive fast enough so that I could get away. He was closing in on me and I was praying for a miracle so that I wouldn't get shot down. Suddenly, the miracle that I prayed for swooped in to save me and I tell you it was beautiful.

"I love you, Edge," I said in relief as I saw her F-15 peel away.

"Then prove it by getting this bitch off of me," she shouted.

I looked behind her to see another JAS-39 gunning for her hard. I nosed over and dove for the attacking enemy aircraft. These pilots were good at maneuvering but they lacked spatial awareness which made it easy for me to get a lock onto Kei's pursuer and send a missile up his tail pipe. Once she was clear, Kei recommenced her attack on the enemy ground forces. Fer-de-lance was half way through the fortress but they were taking heavy casualties. Kei was trying to help Grimm thin out the enemy ground forces while I finished off the remaining enemy fighters. The last enemy fighter was the same guy I broke from earlier and he tried leading me through the runway support columns again. _Not this time you son of a bitch. _I broke off in a wide right turn and then I reversed my direction, giving me a clear shot at the enemy pilot while he continued to fly under the runway. I launched the last sidewinder I was carrying on the missile pylon under my wings and watched it blow the enemy jet out of the sky. As soon as he was dealt with, I jettisoned the external pylons to reduce drag and increase the stealth capabilities of my Raptor. I was about to peel away when I saw cannon shells whizz by my canopy. I instinctively pulled a high G barrel rolled over my pursuer, all the while wondering where he came from. I closed in on the enemy JAS-39 and realize that it was the pilot that I thought had crashed when he tried taking off. These guys were defiantly better than the other Yuke pilots I've flown against. Once he was in front of me, I lit him up with my gun and he crashed into one of the runway's support columns.

"Archer, Edge, I need a sitrep. How are our guys doing?" I asked.

"Fer-de-lance is almost through the fortress, but they're still encountering stiff resistance from enemy ground forces. Blaze, Grimm and I can't do this on our own. I need you to strafe those bunkers in the hills that are overlooking the coliseum," said Kei.

"Roger that, I'll take care of it," I said and I pulled up to gain altitude. I lined up one of the bunkers in my gun sight but I was taking small arms fire form them when I came in for my attack run. A couple of rounds were able to pierce my canopy and a .50 caliber round almost blew my head off when it grazed my flight helmet. I returned the favor by sending a long and steady stream of 20mm rounds into the bunker. I must've hit the ammo stockpile because the bunker spewed out flames from all of its openings. The explosion was enough to rock my plane from five hundred yards away and I lost control for a split second. I doubled back to attack the next bunker on the opposite side of the fortress and sent another stream of lead into the enemy fortification. I repeated the process until all of the remaining bunkers were silenced. I looked back towards the ground forces and saw them nearing the fortress exit.

"Enemy tanks, advancing out of fortress gate," said Kei.

"They're sending reinforcements to launch a counter attack," exclaimed Grimm.

"Dammit, see if you two can stop them," I said.

"Captain, I have more enemy fighters on radar headed this way," said Erica.

I acknowledged and headed west to meet the new enemy formation. They were making a beeline towards the fortress at seven thousand feet in an attempt to intercept Kei and Grimm. I was well above the enemy formation and I stayed between them and the sun so they couldn't see me when I decided to dive on the enemy formation. I counted six enemy fighters and I decided to try and bag as many of them as I could before they were able to spot me. I rolled over into a steep dive on top of the enemy formation. I locked onto the flight lead and fired a side winder at him and quickly dispatched his wingman with my gun. I dove past the remaining four fighters and quickly climbed back up, expecting to see them holding formation but they had already scattered. I saw half of them peel away to the left and the other half peel to the right. I climbed back up above both of the enemy elements and carefully watched what they did next. One element made a break for fortress and the other held back, circling below me, trying to provide cover for the other element.

"Heads up, Edge, you got two enemy fighters headed your way. Be wary of them in case I can't intercept them in time," I called out.

I dove on the two enemy planes below me so that way they wouldn't give chase when I targeted the other two enemy fighters. I targeted the trailing plane first to throw off his lead plane and sent him plummeting towards the mountains after I filled the Su-27 full of holes. Once he was taken care of, I ignored the other enemy plane and went after the other two that were headed for the fortress. I quickly locked onto them with my AMRAAMs but then I looked back to see the last enemy plane diving on me from my five o' clock high. I snap rolled to the right and watched my attacker over shoot. He made the mistake of pulling into a right turn to try and get behind me. Trying to straight up out-turn my F-22 with a Su-27 was one of the dumbest things any pilot could do but I didn't think this guy knew it. When I finally had my gun sight on him, he tried leading me into a rolling scissors. I shook my head in disbelief when I saw him try to fight me when he had no advantage whatsoever. I hung back while I waited for him to stall out and when he did, he bailed out. _What a moron. _I made my way back to the others and took stock of the situation. Fer-de-lance had finally made it to the other side of the fortress but their forces had taken some heavy losses. Grimm and Kei managed to deal with the two enemy fighters that slipped by. I spotted Kei's F-15 going into a dive and drop a JDAM on an enemy tank with Grimm following her lead by firing an AGM on another.

"How's it looking over there, Birdy?" I asked.

"Fer-de-lance is making great progress. They're almost through the fortress, but we're running low on air-to-ground ordinance," said Erica.

_Dammit._ "Roger, just do what you can."

I could tell they were becoming as stressed as I was. Maybe even more stressed than I was. I felt so useless but I knew I had to provide an air superiority role during this mission. I circled back around the rear of the fortress and saw that our allies were finally moving through the fortress exit, but there were more enemy tanks waiting for them outside. One of the towers that over looked the fortress exit began firing on the ground forces and I could see that Kei and Grimm were busy trying to thin out the enemy vehicles. I knew I couldn't do much but I had to suppress the enemy as best as I could. I lined up for an attack run on the tower when I suddenly heard my missile warning go off. I quickly let loose another set of flares and broke away to my left. I was looking over my shoulder, trying to find where the attack was coming from.

"Blaze, he's at your five o'clock low," shouted Erica.

I looked behind me to see a Su-35 firing up at me with his gun. I snap rolled to the right and watched his stream of bullets sail past me. I pulled into a hard right turn at low altitude so that he couldn't get a shot on me. I was causing his pursuit angle to lag and I knew I couldn't hold this turn forever. A few seconds passed before he wised up and tried to pull a high yo-yo on me. My only way out of this was to trick this guy into screwing up. As soon as I saw him go into his climbing right turn, I increased my throttle to put some distance between us. He took the bait and increased his throttle as well when he tried diving on me, which meant I had less time to react if I was going to get away. He finally had a firing angle on me but I didn't let him keep it for long. When I saw him get close enough, I lowered my flaps which caused my airspeed to drop like a ton of bricks. From this point, the enemy pilot could either continue to dive on me from a steeper angle and risk crashing into the ground, or he could break off his attack and allow me the chance to get on his tail. Either way, he was going down. He chose the former and I shook my head in disbelief. I raised my flaps and throttled up just enough for me to make one last maneuver and waited for the perfect moment. He wasn't able to get a lock on me fast enough so he opened fire on me with his gun. I snap rolled to the left and he tried keeping me in his sights. I watched as the Su-35 shot past me and saw him trying to pull out of the dive. The nose of the plane came up but he was still losing altitude. The way his plane crashed made it seem like he made a hard landing. The Su-35 skidded along the ground for a couple hundred yards before it came to a complete stop right in front of the rear gate of the fortress. It was still in on piece and I saw the pilot pop the canopy and make a mad dash for cover like the plane was going to explode, but it didn't. It then occurred to me that his wingman was still out there and I kept my head on a swivel trying to find him. I then saw Kei chasing the last Su-35 in the area. She followed it into a hard left turn around the tower that I had tried to strafe earlier. Kei wasn't able to pull lead in her current position but she was able to counter that problem by performing a low yo-yo. As she came up into the climb, she fired her gun into her target's left wing, causing it to buck heavily to the left and slam into the tower. Debris from the tower and enemy plane started falling on the Yuktobanian ground forces which made our allies' advance much easier. I looked at my radar one last time and saw that the airspace was clear.

"Captain, I'm seeing only one more enemy tank that's still operational. Captain Nagase, see if you can take it out" said Grimm and Kei acknowledged.

She put some distance between herself and the final enemy tank. She doubled back and locked up the target. Once I saw his missile launch off of the rail, I watched as it made a beeline towards the final enemy tank and explode into a brilliant fireball. With the last of the enemy ground forces taken care of, our radios erupted with the sounds of cheers and chants. I climbed some altitude and Kei and Grimm both formed up on my left and right wings so that we could begin our journey home. I got a look at both of their planes and saw that Kei's F-15 was riddled with shrapnel holes. Grimm's plane wasn't in much better shape either. The only thing that was wrong with my plane was the few bullet holes in my canopy. The sight of my wingmen's planes made me feel like I had used them to cover my ass. They had suffered some serious damage while I was pretty much unharmed.

"I'm sorry you guys," I said softly.

"Sorry for what?" asked Erica.

"I put you both in harm's way and here I am with barely any damage done to my plane," I said. I honestly felt bad about it and I felt like I shouldn't have flown my F-22. I had exposed myself to less danger than they did and I felt guilty over it.

"It's alright, Blaze. The worst is over and we're headed home now," said Kei in a soothing voice.

I felt my guilt ease up a little but it was still there. Other than that, I couldn't wait to get back to Sand Island and go to sleep. We circled the fortress a few more time before we left. As stressful as today was, it didn't seem like it was all that impossible to capture an objective of this scale. We did it using only three aircraft and a ground force half the size of the first. We now fully understood that we, The Sand Island Squadron, were now the center of strength for our entire army and why the Yuktobanian military referred to us as the Demons of Razgriz. The Yukes had this place locked down and yet, we had somehow managed to break through. With this final obstacle out of the way, nothing stood between our army and the Yuktobanian capitol. The Yukes were going to try and hold the line more fiercely than ever before but I honestly didn't think it would be enough to stop the momentum of the Osean army. With the Cruik Fortress out of the way, I wondered what came next for us in this war. Everything on the ground had settled down and we headed to our rendezvous point to meet up with a tanker so that we could refuel for our return trip back to Sand Island. I don't know why, but I found myself humming the Journey Home. I guess I just missed Chopper, or maybe I was glad that I could go home again. Either way, the long flight back was a bittersweet journey.


	21. The Great Escape Part I

**Chapter 20 – The Great Escape Part I**

**Fun fact: While writing the dogfight between Wardog and the enemy fighters, I couldn't stop thinking about the song that plays when you're fighting Pixy from Ace Combat Zero. While reading over what I wrote while editing this chapter, I had that song playing on my phone and it just really seemed to fit, but that's just me. Anyways, I hope you enjoy. **

**December 6, 2010 1609hrs Vladimir Mountains, Yuktobania**

The Fortress was finally captured and we were finally headed back towards Sand Island for the day. We had enough fuel to make the return trip but Command wanted us to rendezvous with a tanked to refuel just in case. The mountains down below reminded me of the mountains I had visited to learn about spirituality from Shaolin Monks when I was twelve. It was one of the first steps I had to take in order for me to regain a sense of humanity. I didn't agree with everything the monks partook in, but I gained a new respect for them. They had a lot of discipline and I doubted that I'd ever be able to be as calm as those monks. We flew to the rally point in silence because there wasn't really much to say. I wanted to get out of the sky ASAP because I felt like Kei's and Grimm's planes were going to start falling apart and I knew they wouldn't survive if they had to bail out over these mountains. Erica had fallen asleep because her job was pretty much done for the day. According to my estimates, we'd be back at Sand Island late into the night, like around 0030hrs. _At least I can enjoy the sunset from up here._ It felt great flying in peace for once and I was honestly looking forward to the journey home, but I wished that Chopper was here to complain about it.

"Wardog squadron, this is Thunderhead. Fly to the tanker of refueling. There's an allied squadron to the east of your position. They'll guide you to the tanker for air refueling," said Thunderhead.

"Roger that, Thunderhead, pass word onto Command that Cruik Fortress has been successfully captured," I said.

"Good work, people. We're one step closer to the enemy's capitol. We can win this as you're with us. I can feel it," Thunderhead boasted.

"Unless we decide to retire before then," I mumbled to myself.

"Those enemy pilots we fought today… I can't imagine how wonderful it would be to fly with them in peace time," said Kei compassionately.

"Yeah," agreed Grimm and I nodded.

Those pilots were some of the best that I've flow against. The way they flew was so amazing and I felt like I could learn from them, given the chance. My hatred for this war had me hoping that the victory at Cruik Fortress would end the war within the next week, but that was just wishful thinking. Most of the things I hoped for during this time of war were just wishful thinking.

"Wardog," said a familiar voice over the radio. I perked my head and I knew right away that something was about to become totally FUBAR. "This is the 8492nd squadron, can you see us? It'll be an honor for us to escort you heroes. Let's go home."

_By 'home', do you mean our graves?_ I flipped on the master arm switch on my remaining weapons and told the others to do the same, even though I don't think they heard me or realized the gravity of our situation.

"…Yeah… But I'm still wondering what Captain Chopper was doing when…" said Grimm but a missile warning cut him off.

I looked ahead and saw a small white ball of smoke coming towards me. I didn't realize it was a missile until the last second when I snap rolled to the right and dodged it. My radar was going nuts and the 8492nd squadron's IFF had disappeared. _That's right run away you pieces of shit!_ My missile warning started to go off again and I snap rolled to the left. _Where's the attack coming from?_

"Enemy ECM!" shouted Grimm. "Wait, that escort plane….Oh no!"

"The 8492nd squadron doesn't exist," cried Kei in realization.

I looked up at my HUD and saw a ton of new IFF signatures appear and they weren't friendly. We were being hunted and they were going to try and kill us like they did back in November City.

"Someone in the Army's trying to lead us into a trap! Just like back at the stadium," said Grimm.

"We're not going to die like this," I said

"Thunderhead," called out Kei, but he didn't answer. "Thunderhead, respond!"

"Multiple unmarked fighters inbound… Hey, is that their voice on the radio?" asked Grimm.

"You must destroy them! We can't let them end this war."

"Roger! We'll surround them and attack from all directions."

We were closing in on the enemy planes and I saw that they were Su-47s. "Both of you, stay glued to me," I ordered but we were quickly surrounded with the enemy fighters making diving passes at us. We couldn't maneuver anywhere because we were boxed in. The only way we were able to dodge the enemy attacks was to snap roll out of the way.

"The 8492nd aren't Yuktobanian spies?" asked Kei.

"No, they wouldn't have attacked their own civilians if they were," I said and I tried leading Kei and Grimm through the enemy barrier.

"What's going on?" shouted Erica.

"8492, 8492, 8492… I, I know I've heard that somewhere before…" said Grimm.

"We met them over Akerson Hill, Grimm," I said as I rolled to the left to avoid an enemy attack.

"That's right! When we were helping the President's emergency landing, it was the 8492nd that took our place."

"Yeah… You're right," said Kei.

"They got the President too, so that's what escalated the war?" asked Grimm.

"It has to be. There's no way that President Harling would've decided to invade Yuktobania," I said.

"We've got to tell people about this, but how? We're completely surrounded," cried Grimm.

"So we'll break through," said Kei.

"Edge, I hate to be negative but how in the hell are we going to break through all of these enemy fighters?" asked Erica.

I took a look around to see that the enemy pilots had formed a circle around us and they continued to attack from above. These guys were well coordinated and I had to think of something so that we could escape. Their advantages were their superior numbers, while ours were just our skills. _Think, Castillo. What do you know about the Su-47? _They can't maintain high speeds for very long without the wings becoming over stressed and they didn't have stealth capabilities. _We could out run them, but we need to break through first._

"I'm breaking through their curtain," shouted Grimm and I saw his F-18 go into a dive as he attempted to escape.

"Grimm, wait!" I shouted, but it was too late. Two of the Su-47 dove out of the circle after him and lined Grimm up in their sights. I quickly dove after them, leaving Kei alone and totally exposed. I acquired a missile lock on one of the enemy fighters and fired. The missile buried itself into the Su-47 and I quickly lined up the other in my gun sight. A short burst of lead in the Su-47's wing was enough to make the aircraft break apart and go tumbling into the mountains. "Grimm, head east and get the hell out of here!"

"Sir, what about Captain Nagase?" he asked.

"I'll help her. Just try and make it back to Sand Island. Try contacting Thunderhead and get us some help over here if you can!" I shouted and I turned to go and help Kei. I looked behind me and saw one enemy fighter on my tail, but I looked at my radar and saw that there were two of them. I couldn't see the other enemy plane and that made me rather nervous. _Just deal with the one you see for now. The other will reveal himself soon afterwards._ I pulled into a hard left turn and the enemy Su-47 closed in on me. I then reversed my direction to bring him even closer and as soon as he was close enough, I snapped the stick back and to the left after I cut back on the throttle and lowered my flap while applying full bottom rudder and I watched as the enemy pilot flew right by me. _I didn't think that he'd fall for that._ I was on the tail of the enemy plane but I immediately broke off my engagement to help Kei.

"Sweetheart, listen. I'm going to punch a hole in the enemy barricade and as soon as you see an opening, we're both going to make a run for it," I said and Kei acknowledged.

I was going to use the stealth capabilities of my Raptor to its fullest potential to get me and my team out of here. I climbed above the five remaining enemy fighters that were circling Kei and I watched as they each made passes at her with their guns. Kei was easily dodging their attack by rolling out of the way but I knew she was getting tired. _Now she knows how I felt when I was fighting against Yellow squadron._ Once I was high enough, I singled out one of the Su-47s that was climbing up to rejoin the enemy formation so that he could go in for another attack run, but I didn't let him. He was towards my nine o' clock low and I dove on him and fired my gun into his cockpit. I dove pass the other fighters and pulled up into another climb to attack another enemy plane from below. There was a gap between two of the remaining four Su-47s and I targeted the last of the three in the circle. I came up from underneath from his nine o' clock. Once I was in gun range, I fired a stream of bullets that ran along the length of the aircraft and watched it fall out of the sky.

"You're clear, MOVE!" I ordered and Kei made a run for it.

One of the Su-47s was speeding towards me and fired a missile when he was in range. I jettisoned a set of flares and nosed over into a dive in an attempt to escape. He chased me for a little bit before he broke off and joined the others of his squad, but something wasn't right. _If they were this bent on trying to kill us, why would they give up now?_

"Birdy, has Edge met up with you yet?" I asked over the radio.

"She's almost reached us but… Hans, ten o'clock high!" shouted Erica.

"WHOA!" Grimm exclaimed and I saw missile contrails and tracers off in the distance.

"What's going on?!" I shouted.

"There's another formation of enemy fighters here."

"Keep heading east! I'll take care of them," I said and I accelerated towards them.

I spotted the next enemy formation gunning for Kei and I saw Grimm off in the distance. I gunned my engines to close the gap and catch up with them. I switched over to my AMRAAMs and locked onto one of the Su-47s. With all the radar interference going on, I wasn't sure if my missile would track without any problems. I launched the missile and watched as it made a beeline towards its target. The enemy pilot didn't know where the attack was coming from and he flew into the missile's path. Four enemy fighters were still chasing Kei and I quickly moved in. I wasn't going to let anyone else from my team die and I kept that in my mind the whole time. I lined up one of the four enemy fighters in my sights and squeezed off a bust into his engine. Once he peeled away I line up the next enemy and sent another burst from my gun into his left wing. He spiraled out of control towards the ground and the other two Su-47s broke off from Kei. The stealth advantage of my F-22 was the only thing that was keeping them from finding me so easily. I latched onto the flight lead and he tried going into a descending spiral towards the mountains. I lag rolled outside the spiral and he countered my maneuver by quickly reversing his direction to escape. I continued chasing him but when I got within gun range, I couldn't see an aircraft in the targeting reticule. _Something is generating these false signatures, just like when we shot down all those transport planes._ I looked back over towards Kei and saw that she was being reengaged by the other Su-47. I was about to turn back and clear her six again, but she managed to perform Pugachev's Cobra and get behind her attacker. I honestly didn't think she could pull that off in her F-15, but she did. Once she was behind her target, she let loose a sidewinder on him and blew him to hell.

"Grimm, I'm coming up on your left wing. We have to help Blaze," said Kei.

"Archer, I'm reading more enemy radar signature on scope and they keep fading in and out," said Erica.

"Captain Nagase, one o' clock high!" shouted Grimm.

I gunned my engines again to catch up with them and I saw the new formation of enemy fighters that Grimm called out. I was about to lock onto the new enemy formation with my remaining AMRAAMs but a glint of light caught my eye at high altitude. I pulled out my binoculars and saw that the glint of light came from an enemy E-767. _There you are, you son of a bitch. _

"Edge, Archer, keep evading those enemy attacks. Fight if you have to but keep egressing out of the area," I said as I climbed up to meet the jammer aircraft and I checked to make sure I was clear. I saw that I wasn't being targeted at all and I proceeded to attack the E-767. I lined up the aircraft's right engine in my gun sight and I fired into it. The explosion was enough to rip the whole wing off, along with the radar dish. I looked at my radar and saw it clear up a little, but not all the way. _There has to be another jammer in the area, but where is it?_

"It's a trap! We fell right into it," cried Grimm.

"Captain, where are you?" shouted Erica.

"Hang on you guys. I'm on my way," I said and I dove for speed to catch up with the others. I was heading towards the others at 890mph and my speed was increasing as I continued to dive for the deck. I saw the enemy planes on radar and I saw Kei and Grimm executing the Thatch Weave to provide cover for each other as they tried to escape. _What the hell? They should be able to out run Su-47s, so why are they executing this evasive maneuver? _I looked through my binoculars again and started scanning for the enemy aircraft that were targeting them. I was shocked to see a formation of YF-23 Black Widow IIs flying in a straight line as they waited for Kei and Grimm to screw up. _Where the hell did those come from?_ I carefully selected my targets so that way I didn't target any false signatures. I locked up four of my targets but they broke my lock with chaff and flares and turned their attention towards me.

"Captain, we've got to make it back! Even if we have to turn our backs to the enemy, right?!" asked Grimm.

"We can't run from these guys. They're too fast," I said as I evaded the attacks of the enemy fighters.

"You're not thinking about defeating all these enemies before returning? That's insane!" screamed Kei.

"We can't out run them and at this rate, we'll run out of fuel before we can make it back to Sand Island."

"But…"

"We don't have any other options. You have to trust me on this one."

"Captain, she's just worried about you…"

"I know, but I'm worried about the three of you. I'll get you out of here, I promise."

There was a moment of silence among them and I barrel rolled over one of my attackers and filled his plane with lead. I looked at their aircraft and I could see some new battle damage that they've received from the enemy planes. I'd be lying if I told them I wasn't scared, because I was. The others were just as scared and if they told me otherwise, they'd be lying.

"Alright, what do you suggest?" said Kei.

"I need you to draw their attention while I thin them out. If you see an opportunity, engage them. Otherwise keep heading east," I ordered and Kei and Grimm circled back to clear my attackers of my tail while I engaged the other enemy aircraft that were chasing them. We were all coming head on towards each other at high speed and just before we blew through each other's formation, I pulled off Pugachev's Cobra and watched my attackers overshoot and scatter as they tried looking for me.

"Alright, you two, draw them away and I'll take care of them," I said.

"Antonio, are you sure about this?" asked Kei fearfully.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to any of you, I swear."

"Kei, he'll get us out alive. I know he will," said Erica.

I heard Kei grunt in agreement and she latched onto the tail of one of the enemy planes and shot it down after she broke hard right and barrel rolled over her attacker as he tried to match her turn. _That's my girl_. Grimm managed to shoot two of the enemies down in rapid succession when he performed a rolling scissors over one and shot him down with his gun. He then fired a sidewinder at another enemy YF-23 that was climbing up to meet him from head on. I was able to escape the fur ball as Grimm and Kei got the enemy's attention and proceeded into another Thatch Weave. _Alright assholes, let's see if you have what it takes to keep up with me._ As they chased Grimm and Kei through their maneuver, I remained undetected as I climbed above the enemy formation. I waited for one of my wingmen to give me an opening for me to attack, but Grimm screwed up. He took a turn too wide and one of the YF-23 pilots saw it and pounced. I dove after the attacker as he fired his gun at Grimm and hit his left wing a couple of time. I acquired a missile lock on the enemy pilot and he tried to snap roll to the right in an attempt to break the lock but he positioned himself for me to shoot him down with my gun. My bullets ripped off his rear stabilizer and he lost control of his bird. I quickly climbed back into the sun so that the other enemy pilots couldn't find me and I waited for the next opportunity to strike.

"Grimm, are you okay?" asked Kei.

"We need another way to get away from these guys. We could lose them in the clouds, but it's too dangerous," replied Grimm.

"If that's what it takes, then go for it. Just be careful," I said.

"Captain, I don't think I can."

"Hans, listen to me, I'm not saying that you have to, but if there's no other way for you to get away, then I suggest you use the terrain for cover. I know it's dangerous but I know you can do it," I said trying to boost his confidence.

"Alright, sir, I'll do what I have too."

I looked over at Kei's F-15 and saw that she was weaving through the mountain tops trying to throw off the enemy attacks. She had two bandits on her tail and there were three others flying above her in case Grimm tried clearing her six or if she tried clawing for altitude. I dove on them first, causing them to scatter and then I dove for the other two. I lined the trailing YF-23 up in my gun sight, fired a burst from my gun, and watched as my bullets sailed over his canopy. I've dealt with some pretty stupid ass pilots in all my hours of flying combat missions, but this guy took the top spot when he tried diving away and slammed into the side of the mountain. The last enemy fighter bugged out and I dove into the valley to get out of sight. My reflexes were sharper than ever when I tried flying through the mountains and I cut back on the throttle so that way I had more time to react. After a few seconds of flying through the mountains, I pulled up and began to gain altitude again. I couldn't see any more of the enemy fighters and I frantically started to search for them. I opened the wideband radio channel and started to listen in on the enemy communications.

"Where the hell is he?"

"I don't know. That asshole keeps popping in and out like a fucking weasel."

"Isn't that Mobius 1?"

"It can't be, he's just some wanna be."

"We'll he's clearly making asses out of all of us. Hurry up and waste that son of a bitch!"

_Oh-ho-ho, I know you just did not call my mother a bitch._ I saw six remaining YF-23s and five more Su-47s holding off at a distance from Kei and Grimm. I dove on them out of sheer rage and I shot down one of each plane on the first pass.

"There he is! All units, engage that F-22!"

_Perfect._ "Archer, Edge, you're both clear. They're all focusing on me now. Keep heading back to Sand Island and I'll catch up," I said.

"I'm not leaving you here to die, Blaze," said Kei.

"I'll be alright, just get out of here!"

"No! I'm not going to lose you!"

"Kei, I'm not going to let you leave Grimm and Erica totally exposed! I told you that I'd get all of you out of here and I kept my promise. Now believe me when I tell you that I promise I'll see you again!" I said trying to be firm but compassionate at the same time.

"But then you'll be left alone and I won't leave you here to die!"

"Who says I'm going to die?" I said trying to stay positive. "Haven't you forgotten that I've done this before?" I could hear Kei chocking up over the radio and I wanted to embrace her in case this was the last time that I would ever see… No, I was going to her again. _I AM going to see her again. _I made a promise and I always kept my promises. I wasn't going to die here, not today. "Kei, I know that you know how stubborn we are. I've always came back for you and this time isn't going to be any different. I'll catch up with you."

"I love you, Antonio," said Kei through her tears.

"I love you too," I replied and I watched as Grimm and Kei turned to head east. I felt my heart sink when I saw their planes vanish from sight but at the same time, I felt relieved knowing that they were safe. I grasped my necklace in my hand and took a deep breath before I turned to engage the rest of the enemy fighters. They all locked onto me and sent a wall of missiles my way. I launched a set of flares and broke right to make a run for it, but the YF-23s kept pace with me. I was banking hard to the left and right so that they couldn't get a lock. This forced them to get in closer so that they could try and finish me off with their guns. Once they were close enough, I executed a Super Kulbit and watched as all five of them shot past under me. I quickly locked onto all of them with my remaining AMRAAMs and fired as soon as all of them were locked. They were too close to react in time and I watched as they were all engulfed in flames as I banked to my left. I looked towards my nine o' clock to see the Su-47s closing in on me. The sides of their cockpits were engulfed in flames as they fired their guns directly in front of my flight path. I applied full bottom rudder and pushed the stick even further to the left to enter a dive towards the ground. I started flying through the mountains again and I would pull up over them to gain an awareness of what was ahead so that I didn't slam into a mountain by mistake. These pilots were determined to shoot me down and they stuck to me like ticks. They were all firing wildly and I figured that the excitement or the frustration of the chase had finally gotten to them and I decided that now was the best time for me to make my move. I started to pull up over a mountain and I rolled upside down over a rather large clearing. The enemy pilots were expecting me to dive while I was upside down and they dove to try and gain lead on me with their guns, but I threw them off by pushing forward on the stick. I had a height advantage over them and I used it to dive on the enemy planes. I had all four of the Su-47s in front of me and I started to wish that I had more missiles. I dove on the formation and out of desperation; one of the pilots tried rolling away and slammed into his squad mate. _Okay, either these guys are just plain stupid or maybe they weren't trained as well as they should've been._ With only two more enemy fighters left to go, I quickly dispatched the lead plane. His wingman knew that I was coming after him next and he went into a climbing left turn as I dove on him from his eight o' clock high. His maneuver forced me to overshoot and we both quickly reversed direction to try and gain the upper hand. As he continued his right bank towards me, I lag rolled to position myself behind him. I wasted no time in filling his plane full with 20mm cannon shells once he was in my sights and I watched as his plane ripped in half after my bullets buried themselves inside both of his engines. _I did it, I actually did it._ I had lost track of how many enemy planes that I had shot down and I had managed to save my team. I breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed as the cold air seeped into my cockpit from the bullet holes that were created in my canopy from when we attacked the fortress. My gloves were soaked in perspiration and I took them off to wipe the sweat off of my forehead.

I started laughing to myself for some reason and I didn't know why, but then, my slap happy moment was interrupted by the sound of my missile warning going off. _No fucking way!_ I looked towards my twelve o' clock high to see another barrage of missiles headed straight for me. I launched my last set of flares and watched as their missiles scatter in confusion. The odds were stack against me with multiple radar signatures closing in from all directions now. Some signatures were fading in and out while others were scattering like roaches in light. I quickly stuffed my gloves under my leg so that they wouldn't fly around inside the cockpit while I flew for my life. I quickly got ready to fight and I dove to make a run for it. I looked behind me as my lock on warning started to go off and saw six YF-23s closing in on me. They all launched their missiles and I broke hard left to evade them. The six fighter shot past me and zoomed in climbing turns to the right. I hit the afterburners and rolled back to the right, turning after the six enemy fighters with all the speed my Raptor could give me. I had to even the odds and I had to bag these guys if I had any hope of escaping. I closed the distance with the trailing YF-23. I was fifty yards away when I opened up with my gun, watching the shells move up the fuselage and disappear inside the cockpit. The Black Widow started Dutch Rolling before it nosed over and headed for the mountains. But now, I had more enemy fighters on my tail. I didn't want to fight and I knew I couldn't run. I wearily accepted the fact that I had to face these long odds, but I was exhausted. I knew that if I slipped up once with the stick, rudder pedals, or the throttle, it would spell certain doom for me. I wanted time to catch my breath but there wasn't any time. I tried diving away one last time, but these YF-23s were so fast! I snapped back into a tight left turn. The maneuver startled the enemy pilots as I climbed at them from below, swinging into a spiral. I was surprised the enemy formation didn't scatter. The lead fighter responded with an equal spiral, matching my maneuver perfectly. I spiraled again and he drew even closer to me. The other enemy fighters refused to loosen up at all. This was something that I had never encountered before. The other pilots that I've fought before wouldn't have been able to keep up with me so easily but these pilots were more experienced. Something was very wrong and I now realized that my odds of making out of here alive were even longer. I came out of my spiral into a trap. I looked around me to see even more enemy fighters join the fray and I counted a total of twelve YF-23s circling me and I was circling in the center of it. I didn't have enough time to curse myself over my bad luck before four of the enemy fighters dove on me and I rolled out of the way too easily. I thought it was a simple evasion but I quickly realized that I had set myself up for another attack when a second quartet of YF-23s dove on me. I didn't have any other options except for me to run. I hit the afterburners to get out of gun range, but the four attacking planes weren't the slightest bit concerned. They climbed back up from their dive and got above me within a matter of seconds, diving on me again. I stomped on the left rudder pedal and snapped the stick over to the left, rolling sharply. An YF-23's tracers slipped underneath my right wing, followed by their owner's plane. I came out of the roll in a tight turn with another fighter right behind me. I barrel rolled over a missile he launched at me and I started to lose my temper. I was trapped and all of this reminded me of when I escaped from Pitbull. I pictured every one of these pilots as one of the guards that I fought through and I dove after the last enemy that I evaded. He was in my sights for less than two seconds before I turned his plane into a flaming coffin. _How do you like that you son of a bitch! _Another YF-23 tried to dive on me while firing his gun directly in front of me. I pulled into a Super Kulbit and dove on him with more fighters on my tail. They were closing on me too fast for me to line up my target. I barrel rolled over my pursuers and I quickly sped back up to get away. I thought the stealth capabilities of my F-22 would help me escape, but there were too many eyes on me. I had to break their line of sight somehow. I zoomed into a cloud with the enemy fighters following me closely with guns blazing. I broke hard right to evade the streams of lead and as I reversed my direction. The YF-23s weren't able to match all of my turns and I realized that they weren't as agile as my F-22. I latched onto one of the enemy planes and followed him into a descending left spiral. _Thank you, Lockheed, for thrust vectoring nozzles._ I quickly pulled lead while the other enemy fighters tried getting into position behind me, but they weren't quick enough.

"Get him off of me!"

"We can't get an angle on him. Pull out of that spiral and go into a split S. Well take care of him."

I watched my target roll over and dive, but I didn't follow him. I pulled out of the descending spiral but kept on pulling the left turn. The enemy pilots still weren't able to match it and I kept pulling the turn. However, I was starting to feel the physical effects of all the stress my body was under. The cold air that seeped into my cockpit was starting to make my hands cramp and I felt myself becoming more and more tired. My left arm was starting to go numb from all the maneuvering to the left. _Come on, Antonio. Wake up. You have to make it back alive. You promised Kei you'd see her again._ I shook off the fatigue and strengthened my resolve. _I have to force these guys to screw up somehow._ I barrel rolled into the enemy formation that was chasing me and they seemed surprised that I was flying wingtip to wingtip with them. I smiled as I flipped them both birds and laughed. _Wait for it… wait for it._ I held formation with them until one of them decided to break off. I broke out of the enemy formation after him and quickly shot him down with my gun. One enemy fighter fired a missile at me but I broke right to avoid it and the enemy pilot tried to match it, but he couldn't keep up. I took a couple quick breaths before I reversed my direction and shot him down. _That's three down and now only nine more to go._ The remaining enemy fighters regrouped and quickly surrounded me. _I'm surrounded… that simplifies the problem. _I gathered all my strength for a desperate maneuver. I climbed up towards one of the surrounding enemy planes and got behind it. I was well aware of the enemy plane that was behind me and I ignored him for the moment when I shot down my target by sending a quick burst from my gun into his right engine. Now I had to worry about the enemy behind me. He fired a missile and I broke hard left and quickly reversed my direction by lag rolling into position above and behind him. I dove on him and fired into both of the YF-23's engines and performed a high G barrel roll behind the next enemy fighter that was behind me. After I filled his cockpit full of holes, I dove for the deck and I felt myself becoming even more exhausted. I sacrificed too much speed shooting down those three enemy fighters and my stamina was fading rapidly. _I'm not sure how much more of this I can take. _

_Come on, Kid. I know you have more fight left in you._

"I'm not sure if I can go on, Chopper," I said to myself.

_Yes you can. You now have a reason to fight, two reasons, actually. You promised Nagase that you'd see her again and you were right when you said that there's more to this war. That has to be worth fighting for. _

"Dammit, Davenport, I wish you were here right now."

_I know, man. But right now you have to dig deep and keep going. There's only six more of these bastard and I know you can take them. Show them why the Yukes called us the Demons of Razgriz._

I looked in my rear view mirror and saw the remaining six YF-23s diving on me at full speed. Tracers and missiles shot past my canopy as I snapped the stick to the left. I dove into the mountains one last time at full speed. I was hugging the sides of the mountains as I made my way east with bullets and missiles exploding all around me. _That's right, try and hit me. You'll miss every time._ My mind was focused only on the cliff faces while the enemy fighters continued to press their attack. The gaps between the mountains were starting to become even narrower but the enemy planes just kept coming after me. Eventually I ran out of room and the enemy fighters had given me a wide berth so I couldn't maneuver behind them. I was still trying to catch my breath as I flew through the mountain. My palms were all sweaty and the skin on my hands was starting to become chapped. Both of these factors made it hard to grip the controls and I couldn't do anything about it. I was pushing my physical limits and I really needed a break from all of this. _You have to keep moving, Antonio. Just hold on! _I pulled back as hard as I could on the stick and pulled up into a near vertical spiral. My attackers were still following me but they had difficulty trying to match my maneuver. I could've out turned them all day if I wasn't so tired and I had to muster every bit of strength I could to make my next move. I continued spiraling as I nosed my plane over and dove for the ground again. I saw that two of the enemy fighters had peeled off to the right while the other four stuck to me. As I went into a tight descending spiral, I applied full bottom rudder and put my Raptor into a controlled flat spin stall and I watched as my attackers pulled into a wide loop over me as they tried to line me up in their sights, but they couldn't pull the maneuver tight enough. With the entire formation trying to regroup, I quickly pulled my gloves out from under my leg and put them on. They were still soaked in my sweat but I was finally able to grip my controls better. _Righteous, let's get to work. _I nosed my plane over to end the flat spin stall and spotted the two enemy fighters that broke right turning back to engage me. I knew I wouldn't be able to hit them from head on so I climbed into the sun to get away. I looked back to see all six of them regroup and they flew in my general direction in an attempt to find me. I had finally broken their line of sight on me and I decided to just head back to Sand Island, but they weren't done with me yet. As I started to head back east, my missile warning went off and I looked back to see a missile heading my way. I broke left as the missile shot towards me from my nine o'clock and barrel rolled over it. _These bastards are smarter than I thought. _I was flushed from cover and they all started gunning for me again. My flight path was perpendicular to theirs and they all had clear shots with their missiles. I turned into them and came head on with all six enemy fighters. They all launched another barrage of missiles my way and I went into a shallow dive as the missiles continued to track me. At the last possible moment, I pulled up and rolled over the enemy formation and I pulled a nine G Split S to get behind them. I yelled to help keep myself conscious through the maneuver. _I've had it with all this running. I'm going home to expose the truth to everyone about this war._ I latched onto one of the remaining YF-23s and quickly filled his plane full of lead. He was trailing fire and thick black smoke as his entire right wing became engulfed in flames. I wasted no time in switching targets and latched onto another one of the enemy planes. I continued yelling in frustration as my finger close around the trigger and sent another deadly volley of 20mm cannon shells towards my target. My missile warning went off again and I instinctively broke right and reversed my direction two more time to lead my pursuer into a scissors maneuver. All four of them tried to follow me through but I eventually got behind all of them. I pulled lead on another enemy plane and fired my gun into the cockpit of my target before my gun fell silent. _Shit, I'm dry._ I only had one sidewinder left and I sank my teeth into another one of the enemy fighters. However, when I tried to pull lead on my target, I felt the wings of my Raptor buckle from all the stress my maneuvering had put on the airframe. _NO! NOT NOW!_ I couldn't keep my target in my sights without further damaging my plane's structural integrity. I tried diving for speed but I could hear my F-22's groans as I nosed it over. I was beaten. I was out of options and it looked like I wasn't going to be able to keep my promise to Kei after all. I felt like I had lied to her and it tore me up inside. I'd never be able to see her beautiful smile again nor would I ever be able to tell her that I loved her again. I wanted to embrace her one last time before I died and tell her how much she meant to me. I thought about this until tears ran down my cheeks and sobbed as I waited for these guys to finish me off.

"Kei…" I said over the radio. "I don't know if you can still hear me but… It looks like I won't be keeping my promise to you. Believe me when I say that I tried, but my best wasn't good enough. As long as I know that you, Grimm, and Boldman made it home, then I know my death wasn't meaningless. " I watched as all three of the remaining enemy planes regrouped and made a wide left bank to get behind me. "I would've loved to have a future with you, and I wanted to…. I wanted to tell you one last time how amazing you are and that the next guy you meet is the next luckiest guy in the world." The three enemy fighters were finally positioned behind me and I listened to the alarm that warned me that I was being spiked by enemy radar. I took on last deep breath and prepared myself to die. "I love you Kei," I whispered into my radio and I clenched my fist in anger. I heard the missile warnings go off and I saw them closing in as I looked into my rear view mirror. _Here I come, dad._

"I love you too, Antonio"

I thought I was imagining things when I heard Kei's voice and the tears began to flow even harder. I closed my eyes as the missiles closed in on me, but then I heard something that sounded very familiar. I kept my eyes closed as the familiar sound grew louder and my missile warning suddenly stopped after I heard a loud explosion. I didn't feel my plane shudder or buck from the impact of the missiles nor did I feel my plane spiraling out of control. I opened one eye and nervously peeked at my HUD to see that I was still flying level at eight thousand feet. I looked behind me to see that the enemy YF-23s heading for the ground in flames and I saw Grimm's F-18 diving for the deck and pulling back up into a climb and form up on my right wing.

"Grimm…" I said trying to catch my breath.

"It's alright, Captain. We're here," he said.

I looked ahead and saw Kei's F-15 headed right for us. She pulled up into a climb and pulled a Split S to position herself on my left wing. I looked over towards her through watery eyes and I could barely make out her face. My breathing relaxed and I wiped the tears away from my eyes. I didn't know what I should've said first. _Should I tell her that I love her again? Should I tell her 'thank you' or should I yell at her for coming back for me?_

"You should know better than to fly in a straight line, Blaze," said Kei.

I let out a slight laugh as l leaned back in my seat and I undid my oxygen mask. I was breathing heavily and I sounded like I was crying and laughing at the same time. "You three are a sight for sore eyes," I sighed.

"Is your plane alright?" asked Erica.

"She's not maneuvering too well."

"We have to land soon. Where's the nearest airfield?" asked Kei.

"Why, are you low on fuel?" I asked.

"No, we have to get you out of the air ASAP."

"Then let's hurry up and get back to Sand Island. We have to let someone know about all of this," said Erica.

"We don't have the fuel to make the trip back to Sand Island. We have to find a closer base," argued Kei.

I was worried that my F-22 wouldn't hold together long enough for us to make it back and we also had to worry about our fuel situation. I quickly did the math in my head and determined that we didn't have enough fuel to make it back to Sand Island, and chances were that we'd be grounded for the day if we landed somewhere other than Sand Island. My mind was racing with thoughts about what we should do. I needed to get back to Sand Island to warn the others of Wardog squadron and my sister. If we were being targeted, then so were they. We had to get back to Sand Island, but we couldn't make it, unless…

"How far is the Jet Stream from our current position?" I asked.

"I can't tell something's still interfering with our radar," said Erica.

_The other Jammer!_ "Keep your eyes peeled for jammer aircraft."

I pulled out my binoculars one last time and started scanning the sky. I couldn't see anything and neither could the others. _Where the hell are you?_ I looked at the radar and saw that there weren't any signatures on screen; real or false. I figured that someone was trying to sneak up on us and I looked behind me. I couldn't get a good view of anything. I unstrapped myself from my seat so that way I could get a better view behind me and sure enough, we were being followed by one last enemy plane. It was a Tornado ECR trailing us and I signaled the others using hand signals. I deduced that this guy was transmitting our position to another squadron of enemy fighters.

"Grimm, go high and see if you can get a better view of the area. Edge, keep me covered," I ordered over the radio but she knew I meant for her to keep whichever one of us the enemy pilot attacked, covered. Grimm broke out of formation and climbed into the sun while we watched him closely. I looked in my rear view mirror to see the Tornado holding position at our seven o' clock low. Grimm saw this and looped behind the enemy plane and lined him up for a shot, but the Tornado pilot broke off and Grimm gave chase. The enemy pilot was handling his plane rather well and Grimm looked like he was having trouble staying on his tail, but I was wrong. It's difficult for me to describe how good Grimm's flying was. I had to admit that it did seem like he was dancing with the enemy pilot as they looped up, over, and around each other. Grimm didn't focus on attacking from behind as much as I did. He attacked from every possible angle there was and it amazed me just how he was able to do it. The enemy pilot had just come out of a high G loop and Grimm had performed a loop that allowed him to intercept his target from three o'clock, but the pilot had led him into a trap. When Grimm opened fire with his gun, the enemy pilot snap rolled over him and had somehow managed to make a ninety degree left turn so that he was now on Grimm's tail. I was about to order Kei to help him but Grimm amazed the hell out of me with his next maneuver. He started it off by pulling off Pugachev's Cobra, only he didn't pull out of it when he approached stalling speed. Grimm then hit full right rudder as he applied full throttle, causing his F-18 to yaw clockwise violently while he pushed forward on the stick. His F-18 went from facing east while flying sideways, to facing north as he rolled into position behind the enemy Tornado. _That was bloody amazing!_ The Tornado pilot must've been even more surprised than I was because he didn't move when Grimm launched a sidewinder at him and blew the enemy plane away. Our radar had finally cleared up and we now had to find our way back home.

"Grimm… That was awesome," I said as Grimm formed up on my left wing.

"Oh… well thank you, sir. That means a lot coming from you," he replied.

"Anyways, Boldman, how far are we from the Subtropical Jet Stream?"

"Uh…let's see…..about three hundred and fifty miles directly south of our current location," said Erica.

"Sand Island's almost fifteen hundred miles from here and we only have nine hundred miles of fuel left. We're not going to make it back like this. We should refuel at one of the closest allied controlled airfields," said Kei.

It was a long shot if we were going to try for Sand Island, but then I remembered Thunderhead. "Thunderhead, come in," I hailed over the radio, but all I got was static in return. I hailed him several more time before Kei said that it was no use. "Shit," I muttered.

"So I assume we're headed for the closest airfield then?" asked Kei.

"No, everyone gain as much altitude as you can. We're going to glide towards the jet stream as much as possible and ride it the whole way towards Sand Island. Let's get moving."

We all turned south and gained as much altitude as we could. I had to go easy on the angle that I climbed because I didn't want to put my plane under any more stress. It took some time, but we all eventually made it to our aircraft's service ceiling. We then shut off our engines and glided towards our way point. It felt strange to fly without the engines wailing and I took advantage of the quiet and took off my helmet to whip off all the sweat from my head. The sun was still shining brightly and I put on my aviators so that I could see. I kept my oxygen mask on so that I could breathe and communicate with the others if they needed something.

"So who were those guys that attacked us?" asked Grimm.

"I don't know. But whoever it is benefiting from this war somehow," said Erica.

"What countries do you know fly Su-47s and YF-23s?"

"Well, theirs the Independent States, Erusea, and…"

"Belka," I muttered, cutting off Erica.

"What are Belkan pilots doing here?" asked Kei as she came to the same conclusion.

"I think the real question is what their involvement in this war is."

"Do you think they're trying to help Yuktobania?" asked Grimm.

"I don't think so. If Yuktobania invaded Osea, more than likely South Belka would've been invaded too," I said.

"How did they know where to find us?" asked Kei.

"Someone has to be working with them," said Erica. "It has to be someone within our military, but whom?"

I was already creating a list of suspects in my head but as I tried narrowing it down, I realized that it had to be someone who had to know what we were up to all the time. "Thunderhead…"

"What?"

Thunderhead was with us from the very beginning and he was also the one who ordered us to hold fire against those enemy planes that were trying to kill us when I first flew with Wardog. The Osean Rules of Engagement allowed us to defend ourselves but Thunderhead sure did try hard to get us in trouble for trying to keep ourselves alive. There was also the time when the Kestrel was trying to regroup with the other two carriers and he didn't call out those enemy fighters until we noticed it on our radar. He also knew our exact position when we got word that the 8492 attacked the engineering college but he still doubted our innocence when we were accused of the attack. When November City was under attack, he also called back the allied reinforcements when he heard that we had shot down the enemy stealth bombers, leaving us die. If those allied fighters hadn't gone against orders, we'd all be with Chopper. Now Thunderhead wasn't responding for God know what reason and that made me suspect him even more. We all continued discussing this whole conspiracy while we glided our way towards the Jet Stream. It was an amazing sight when we reached it. We could see a huge column of clouds floating from west to east, stretching as far as the eye could see. It was only the second natural phenomenon that I've seen in my life but it wasn't as amazing as the auroras I saw when I was flying as Mobius 1. Once we reached the Jet Stream, we turned our engines back on and slipped in with the clouds so that we could fly back towards Sand Island with the of the wind pushing us along. The more we talked about all of this, the more questions we had than answers but we were able to connect the dots of some things like 'The President's' escalation of the war. I knew by now that Genette was closing in on the same discovery. We now knew for sure that there was more to this war than we originally thought and we now had a reason to fight. I was going to get to the bottom of it, but first we had to let the public know about it.

**December 7, 0112hrs Sand Island AFB**

"So who do we tell first," I asked as we came in to land.

"There's no point in talking to that blockhead Commander. He treated our President like an idiot, just because he wanted peace," said Kei.

"What about his Adjutant, Captain Hamilton?" suggested Grimm.

"Roger that. The Captain and I will go see him. Grimm, you let Genette and Pops know."

"Right, be careful."

"What about me? What should I do," asked Erica.

"Find Rockford and Nelms and tell them to meet us in the crew room. See if you can find my sister too," I said.

We all parked our planes on the flight line and we headed off in all directions to do what needed to be done. I could tell Kei was anxious to talk to Captain Hamilton by the way she dropped all of her flight gear in the hanger. She ran ahead of me while I walked like I was hesitant about telling Hamilton.

"What's wrong," asked Kei.

"You ever get the feeling when you know something isn't right?" I asked.

"Yeah. Why, do you have that feeling right now?"

"Yeah, I get the feeling that we should tread carefully," I said and Kei nodded as she turned to head towards Hamilton's office. "Kei, wait."

Kei stopped and turned towards me again. I gazed at her as she stood there wondering what I was going to say next, or rather do next. I walked up to her and pulled her closely to me. She didn't hug me back right away because she had no idea why I had embraced her like this. "Thank you for saving me," I said softly and Kei slowly wrapped her hands around me. I never really feared for my own life, but I realized that the only time I was afraid to die was when I had everything to lose. I fought as hard as I could to make it back but if it hadn't been for the others, I'd be dead. I let go of Kei and tried to say something, but she slapped me as hard as she could. I held my cheek and my face twisted in pain. Kei stared at me until I lowered my hand from my face.

"Ouch," I said nonchalantly.

"Fight harder next time or I'll kick your ass," growled Kei and she turned to walk off.

_Yeah, good luck._ "Yes, ma'am," I said.

We started to make our way towards Captain Hamilton's office but we got harassed by base security because we didn't return our side arms to the armory. I wanted to incapacitate them but then I'd be drawing suspicion towards us. We quickly made our way to the armory and gave them our side arms, but I kept my KA-BAR. Kei and I hauled ass towards Hamilton's office. We entered the building where Hamilton's office was located and started running down the hallway. Colonel Perrault's office was two floors above us, but we knew there was no point in talking to him. One of the few guards who were performing his rounds in the building started eye balling us and he tried stopping me because he saw that I was still carrying my knife around my right thigh. Base security never harassed me about it before and I knew something was up. I also noticed that I had never seen this guard in particular around Sand Island since I got here four months ago.

"I'm gonna have to take that from you, Captain," said the guard.

"Try it and I'll knock your ass out," I said with an evil glare and he back off.

I heard him mumble something as I walked by him and I thought he called me an 'asshole' or something like that so I didn't pay much attention to it. Kei and I kept running down the corridors, trying to get to Hamilton's office, but as we rounded the second to last corner, we saw him walking towards us with both hands behind his back. His head was down and the brim of his cover obstructed my view of his eyes. I was about to call him Captain when I noticed that he now had a Major's insignia his shoulder. Under normal circumstances, we would've saluted him but Kei had already called out to him. The way he walked towards us made me suspect that something was wrong. He knew that Kei and I were here to see him and I realized that he was expecting us.

"Major, we need to talk to you about something urgent," she said as he closed the distance between us.

"Yes, but first I need to do something important," said Hamilton and he looked up at us with an evil grin.

_Oh crap!_ I grabbed Kei by the shoulder and pulled her back while I walked on ahead. I continued to approach Hamilton and once he got within arm's reach of me, he swung his right hand out from around his back to reveal a knife, aimed for my abdomen. I threw my hips back and leaned back in time for me to dodge an upward swipe that he aimed for my chest. I leaned back too far and I fell backwards, but I back flipped in order to recover in time to see Hamilton trying to heel kick me. I pushed his leg out of the way and he tried to stab me with the knife. I grabbed Hamilton's arm and flipped him over my shoulder so that he landed in front of Kei who then kicked him in the head, dazing him heavily. I pulled the knife out of Hamilton's hand and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

"Why do you want us dead?" I shouted.

"I'm not telling you anything," said Hamilton.

His response was proof that he was involved in some kind of conspiracy. He knew what was going on and I was sure that he put that hit on us over Yuktobania. I pulled Hamilton to his feet as I grabbed him by the throat and forced him against the wall. The more he tried struggling, the tighter my grip became around his neck.

"I'm only going to ask you one more time before shit starts to get ugly, why does Belka want us dead," I growled.

"Fuck you," he strained to say.

"Have it your way," I said. I asked Kei to keep a look out for me while I started interrogating Hamilton. I struck him the gut with my knee, slammed his head back into the wall while he was bent over, and I punched him hard enough so that his head bounced off the wall. I quickly put my hand back on his throat and asked him the same question again. He responded by spitting in my face and I replied back by walking him over to a fire extinguisher case on the wall. I grabbed the back of Hamilton's neck and ran his head through the glass door, pulled him back out, kneed him in the gut again, and slammed his head on top of the fire extinguisher case. I pulled Hamilton back up to his feet again and pulled out my knife. "Keep it up, you'll have to pay for sex when I'm through with you," I said.

"You're supposed to be dead!" said Hamilton.

"Why?" I growled.

"So Osea doesn't win this war," said Hamilton.

"What does Yuktobania gain from this?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" he said. I was about to stab Hamilton in the leg but Kei warned me that someone was coming. While I was looking at her, Hamilton managed to get loose and punch me. I was dazed and I didn't see his next hit coming. I quickly shook it off and started fighting back. The guard that we saw earlier came running with back up and Kei ran towards them. She jumped on the lead guard so that his head was between her thighs and then she proceeded to fling her upper body back so that the guard was thrown out of the way. Kei then quickly rolled out of the way and swung her leg around to knock another guard off of his feet. Another guard tried to draw his gun but Kei quickly jumped and ran her knee into the guy's jaw, knocking him two feet into the air. I wanted to see how she dealt with the other guards but I had to focus on Hamilton. His true fighting prowess became clear and I had to stay sharp as he made every single move. I was able to drop kick him once and he had somehow managed to get a hold of his knife when he got back up. Hamilton charged at me one last time, but he wasn't expecting me to end the fight so quickly. He tried stabbing down at me from above and I quickly cut his wrist. I then grabbed his knife with my left hand, spun around, stabbed him in his right leg, and punched him as hard as I could in his forehead. He staggered backwards and quickly regained his balance. He whipped the blood off the corner of his mouth and forehead before he looked at me and smiled.

"You're good, I'll give you that. I never thought you'd hinder our plans this long," said Hamilton. "But your skills won't be enough to save you, your friends, or your family."

My eyes widened when I realized that he was already two steps ahead of me in trying to frame us. Hamilton ordered the 8492nd squadron to attack the Yuktobanian College when he knew that we were operating near that area and I was right to suspect him when he mentioned the minor details that occurred during our mission that day before we left for Oured. He was also the one who fed the Yukes our battle plans at the beginning of the war, which was why the Yukes knew exactly when and where to hit us. The fact that he already had plans set in motion to deal with my friends and family wasn't the slightest bit comforting. I felt myself go numb with rage when I connected all the dots. I gripped my knife tightly as Hamilton charged at me and he tried to hit me with a flying kick. I stepped to the side just enough for him to miss and I caught his leg while he was still in the air. I quickly swung Hamilton around and slammed him into the wall. I grabbed him by the hair and placed my knife on his throat. The fear in Hamilton's eyes made me smile and it continued to grow at the thought of me killing him. _Antonio, no! Don't do it! Not like this!_ The sound of my mother's voice snapped me out of my stupor.

"What's wrong, Castillo? Can't you kill me?" Hamilton mocked.

Hamilton smiled at me and I felt myself looking into his eyes. They weren't the ones that haunted me and I wished that they were. I wanted this guy dead just as much as Green and I couldn't bring myself to kill him yet. I needed to know what his plans were for dealing with the people closest to me and what Belka's future plans for the war were. I needed everything this bastard knew if we were going to reveal the truth. I pulled my blade away from Hamilton's neck and grabbed his throat again.

"You're going to tell me…" I began.

"Blaze," shouted Kei as she ran towards me. I looked behind her to see five armed soldiers dressed in tactical gear, with SMGs and assault rifles equipped with suppressors, frag and flash grenades, and night vision goggles. Kei ran past me after she ran her fist through Hamilton's jaw. His head twisted violently as blood and saliva flew out of his mouth and I watched as he hit the ground hard. If Hamilton wasn't hurt before, he sure as shit was incapacitated after what Kei did. I quickly grabbed Hamilton's limp body, lifted him up in front of me, and charged towards the armed guards. I was using his body as a meat shield and I knew then that these men were under Hamilton's command because they weren't shooting at me. When I was close enough, I threw Hamilton at one of the guards and grabbed another guard's weapon. I quickly heel kicked him and blindly fired at the other guards who tried ducking out of the way. I ejected the mag and threw it at one of the other guards' head. He was totally confused as to what just happened and I hit him as hard as I could with the gun. I grabbed him and brought him between me and another guard who opened fire on me. The guard's vest took most of the punishment but a few stray bullets to his head killed him. The guard who tried shooting me tried to reload, which gave me enough time to grab his arm, flip him over my shoulder, throw my knife at another guard's leg, and twist the guard's arm that I flipped over my shoulder so that it broke while he was on the ground. The guard I threw Hamilton at was starting to get up off the floor and I quickly drew the suppressed pistol from the guard whose arm I broke, and shot him in the head. The other guard that I threw my knife at tried to bring up his MP5 and I shot him before he could shoot. I got up off the ground and Kei walked up to me to take stock of what I did.

"Do you notice anything odd about these guys?"

"Uh, they were trying to kill us?" Kei replied sarcastically.

"No, those guys were a wet squad. They're going to kill us because Hamilton ordered them to."

"Well, we did just beat the hell out of Hamilton."

"He's going to try and frame us like he did during Hammer Blow."

Kei brought her hand to her head and pulled her hair in frustration. "Dammit, we're so screwed," muttered Kei.

"Nobody screws us," I said, trying to think. "Except for each other," I added trying to be funny and Kei looked at me totally annoyed.

"Do have any bright ideas?" asked Kei.

"Just one, but we have to find the others, fast," I said as I retrieved my knife out of the guard's leg. I also took the rest of his pistol ammo, a grenade, and his radio. Kei took a pistol off of one of the other guards and we headed back down the hallway and I caught sight of a closet that held the main power conduit for the entire building. I pulled the pin out from the grenade I was carrying and tossed it inside the closet. I quickly shut the door behind us and we headed towards the building exit as the grenade exploded and knocked out power to the entire building. _That should let us slip out of here more easily._ Kei and I quickly headed for the door and we ran into Pops, Grimm, and Genette as they came dashing down the adjacent hallway.

"What's going on?" asked Grimm.

"No time to explain, we have to go," I said and we all ran out of the building.

MP buggies were approaching from all directions and I told everyone to follow me as we made our way to the garages at the end of the main hanger. We hugged the shadows as much as possible while trying to avoid spotlights and armed guards. The radio I took was a great help with determining where the guards were most concentrated at Kei and I had to incapacitate a number of them before we could continue to make our way towards safety and I managed to get my hands on one of their MP5 submachine guns. We weren't sneaky enough for Kirk because he found us with no problem. The hiding spot we ended up at was Kei and I's make out point and we were lucky that no one else was around. I asked Grimm if he could go and scout out the hangers to see if we could use our planes to get the hell out of dodge. He ran off while the rest of us waited for him to get back.

"Everyone on Sand Island was pretty much turned against us. We should've gone to Perrault first," I said.

"Hamilton's got the base commander deceived too," said Genette.

"I punched that guy's lights out. That bastard was wearing a Major's insignia on his shoulder," said Kei.

"Perrault probably promoted him after he convinced him that we betrayed Osea. That was a hell of a right hook by the way" I said and saw Kei crack a slight smile.

"I don't know who it is, but someone's trying to keep this war going," said Genette. "If Osea continues to win, then the war would be over."

"And they're after us to prevent that? You're kidding," said Kei in disbelief.

"You people are the pillar of moral for the entire Osean Army now," said Genette.

"But there's no way the Brass would believe that we're traitors after all we've done for our allies, which reminds me, were you able to find the President?" I asked Genette.

"No, no one in the capitol has seen him in nearly two months."

"So they did get him," I muttered.

"And now you know something that you were better off not knowing; the President's disappearance," said Pops.

"Listen Pops, who exactly are you?" asked Genette.

"What do you mean?" I asked as I brought myself up off the wall I was leaning on. But before I could get an answer, I noticed Kirk turn his head towards the other end of the ally and the sound of footsteps coming towards us became apparent. Kei and I both readied our weapons as we waited for whoever it was. I had my finger poised on the trigger of the MP5 that I had taken from the guard, but relaxed when I saw that it was Grimm. He was bent over trying to catch his breath so that he could tell us about our way out of here.

"It's no good, they seized our planes in the hangers," he exclaimed.

_Dammit, there's got to be some way for us to get out of here. _I thought about stealing a boat and riding it away from Sand Island, but there was no way for us to make it anywhere without being stranded in the middle of the ocean with no fuel. Our only way off the base was by air but with no way to reach our planes safely, we were stuck here.

"Hanger C in the rear probably isn't so heavily guarded," said Pops somewhat optimistically.

"Yeah, but…over there, there's nothing but…"

"We'll escape with my training jets," interrupted Pops. "Good thing I maintain all my planes well, eh? Let's try it. Genette you'll take the seat behind me."

"You guys go on ahead," I said.

"What are you going to do?" asked Kei.

"I'm not leaving the others here so that they can rot in prison, or worse."

"But Blaze, there's no way you'll be able to reach them without getting caught," said Genette.

"I'm not leaving them," I said stubbornly.

"We can't do anything for them. We have to leave without them," said Pops.

"So, after everything you've said to me, you expect me to abandon your friends when I know I can save them?" I asked Pops. After all the words of wisdom he's given me since I first met him, I lost a great deal of respect for Pops when he told me to leave without the others. "I thought you of all people would understand, Pops."

Pops looked away from me because he knew he was being hypocritical. I knew it was dangerous to go and find them, but they were still my responsibility. I also made myself a promise to make sure nothing happened to them after Chopper died.

"Shouldn't I go with you if you're going to try and bust the out of custody?" asked Kei.

"It would help but I don't want anything happening to them in case you guys become compromised while you head towards the hangers," I said.

"Will you be okay? You must be exhausted."

"Yeah, I am. I'll be alright though."

Kei gave me a worried look and placed her hand on my cheek. She had the right to be worried but she knew this was something I could do. I hugged her one last time before she left to lead the others towards Hanger C. It was going to be a very long night and I was already beat from flying for my life earlier. I had to keep myself awake somehow but I couldn't think of anything. All I could do was shake my head and bounce a little to keep my blood flowing. I checked my weapon to make sure that it was good to go and stood facing the search light that kept passing over the garages. _Just hang tight, guys. I'm coming for you. _


	22. The Great Escape Part II

**Chapter 21 – The Great Escape Part II**

**December 7, 2010 0132hrs** **Sand Island AFB**

Rescuing my team while being stranded on a military air base with every able body looking for me and my team wasn't how I thought this week would start out. Kei, Grimm, Pops, Kirk, and Genette had left for hanger C while I stayed behind and thought of a way to help the others. I wasn't going to leave without them but busting them out was going to be a challenge. The first thing I needed to do is find a disguise so that I wouldn't draw too much attention to myself while I moved around the base. Secondly, I needed to disable base security to keep the digital eyes off of me. Thirdly, I needed to get to the armory so that I could prepare a Plan B. Finally, I had to rescue the others. I was only armed with my knife, a radio, a suppressed pistol, and an MP5 which only had one full mag. In addition to all of that, I had to recover my laptop and cellphone because they both contained information that could raise even more suspicion towards me. If I was going to complete everything that needed to be done in order to escape, I needed to avoid fighting at all cost while trying to hide in plain sight. I needed to be extremely clever in order to make my first move. I tuned into the radio and listened carefully to what was being said between all the guards. Every guard was spread out all over Sand Island, looking for us. I decided that I should head for the Barracks first. No doubt Hamilton had his people ransacking our rooms in order to find some dirt they could use on us or they were trying to plant dirt on us. Avoiding search lights, armed guards, and patrolling vehicles is a lot harder than it sounds. Speed and agility were vital when it came from moving from point A to point B. Along the way, I spotted a straggling guard walking towards the barracks and I tailed him while trying to keep a low profile. He stopped to smoke a cigarette while I hugged the wall of the barracks. I ducked behind the bushes and waited for the right moment to make my move. As the guard finished smoking, I tossed my gun in the dark area by a nearby tree and the guard became alert. He turned on his flashlight and cautiously made his way towards where my gun had landed. I looked around to make sure I was clear, moved in behind the guard, and put him in a sleeper hold until he passed out. I quickly turned off his flashlight and dragged his body into some bushes. I got dressed into his uniform, hid him away, slung his M16 across my back, holstered my knife and the suppressed pistol I had stolen earlier in my belt, and donned the guards cover on my head. I hated wearing hats but in this case, it was a necessity. _Alright, here we go_. My heart was pounding inside my chest as I started to head inside the barracks because I wasn't sure about the attention span of these guards. As I opened the door, two guards made a bee line towards me. I kept my head down, hoping that they wouldn't recognize me as I passed by them. They didn't. This was the last place they'd expect to find me but I still had to be careful, because this would be the last place I'd ever think about heading towards. I was exposing myself to the security cameras as well and I knew I had to deal with them next. When I got to my room, I saw a couple of guards ransacking the place, looking for things of interest. They had found my laptop and set it in a box. I could tell these guys were having a hay day in here. One guard found the care package my mother had sent me last month and started eating my sour gummy worms. _That bastard!_ Another guard was looking through Kei's drawer and smelling her underwear. I wanted to kill both of these guys but this situation called for extreme subtlety.

"Hey, you," said a guard, pointing to me. _Oh shit, oh shit, I'm made!_ "Take this box out to the truck."

He was pointing to the box that had my laptop, Kei's MP3 player, and the computer that was on the desk. I was about to pick up the box and head out of the room when I spotted Kei's book. _I can't let anything happen to that. _I grabbed the book when the guards weren't looking and I also grabbed my black sling bag before I headed out of the room. I made my way back outside the building and hid behind some bushes so that I could recover my laptop and Kei's book before I did anything else. After I placed both items in my bag, I left it behind as I placed the box in the truck. I could feel the eyes of some of the guards on me and I knew I was raising suspicion. I walked out of their view as quickly as I could and got my bag. _That was easier than I thought._ Once I was out of their line of sight, I headed towards my locker where I kept all my flight gear. I was surprised to see that no one was in there and I felt my spirit rise when I looked to see that my phone was still in my locker, but I couldn't get a message out to Lt. Colonel Harkin because I couldn't get a good enough signal from the satellite my phone was connected to. After I acquired my phone, I started to make my way to the security office, which was in building 2. Building 2 was connected to the control tower and was located next to hangers R-1 and R-2. Next to them were workshops 1 and 2 where the ground crews would perform maintenance on aircraft engines and other electrical equipment. Between them and hangers B-1 through B-4 was the ordinance hanger where all our aircraft's weapons were stored. Behind building 2 were two more warehouses that stored all spare parts to our aircraft and next to them were the gym and the armory. Four more warehouses sat a bit further east of the armory and they contained all the food and cleaning supplies for the entire base. The building that held Perrault's and Hamilton's offices, along with the other top brass of Sand Island, was located next to the brass's barracks. It was simply called Building 1. The motor pool was located between their barracks and another building, which housed the crew room, briefing room, and sick bay. The last building, which was just a stone throw away from our original hiding spot and the barracks, was the building that held the laundry room, the mess hall, the mail room, and the barber shop.

I kept head on a subtle swivel and tried keep a look out for anyone who I knew could help me or who might compromise my mission. _Just keep working your disguise, Castillo._ I safely made it to building 2 and I entered it. I kept my head down so that the brim of my cover obscured everyone's view of my face. I passed by some more guards and they all looked familiar, except for the chief security guard. He was a 1st Lieutenant who looked a couple years older than me. His blonde hair was longer than Osean military regs allowed and I figured by the way he interacted with some of the other guards that he wasn't part of the Osean military. _He has to be with those other guys Hamilton brought in._ I spotted a few more people whom I didn't recognize and I kept my distance from them as I continued to make my way to the security office. Once I was there, I spotted two guards watching the monitors. I opened the door and placed one hand on my pistol in preparation for me to draw on them. They were still watching the screens and I started scanning them, hoping that I could find where the others were. Sand Island didn't have a prison of any kind. When the Yukes tried invading, all enemy POWs were rounded up and taken to the mess hall. When I looked at the monitors that showed every angle of the mess hall, there wasn't anyone there. _Where could they be?_ I stood behind both of the security guards and their body language suggested that they were extremely focused on trying to find us.

"Still haven't found them yet?" I asked.

"No, not yet, but they won't be able to hide once morning comes," said one of the guards.

"What about the RIOs? Have we found them?"

The other guard turned to face me when he answered and I gripped my pistol in my right hand but I didn't draw it just yet. "Yeah, they're being held up in…" began the guard but he stopped when he realized who I was. I quickly ran over to him, jabbed him in the throat with the barrel of the gun, and knocked him out by pistol whipping him on the side of the neck. The other guard tried to scramble for his radio but I shot it out of his hand before he could say anything into it. The guard froze in terror when he saw me pointing my gun at his head. He threw his hands up and he started breathing heavily.

"Tell me what I need to know and I'll let you live," I said as I casually sat down in one of the other office chairs. I still had my gun pointed at him but it looked like I was just having a casual conversation with the guard. "If you don't tell me what I need to know, then I'm going to shoot you in every single one of your joints until you talk. Are we clear?"

"Alright, fine. I'll cooperate, but please, Captain, don't kill me! I have a wife and son," the guard blubbered.

"Just tell me what I need to know," I said and the guard nodded in terror. "Where is Hamilton keeping my RIOs?"

"He has them in the conference room of building 1, on the second floor."

"Is my sister with them?"

"No, Hamilton's got her somewhere separate."

"Where is she?" I asked as I felt my rage growing.

"I don't know," said the guard. "That's the truth, I don't know. You've got to believe me."

"What about the other members of my team. Does anyone have the slightest idea of where they're at or what they might be planning?"

The guard shook his head and I felt myself become a little bit relieved. I got up out of my chair and walked behind the guard. "I'm not going to kill you," I told the guard. "But I am going to hurt you. Sorry," I said and I struck the guard in the back of his neck.

I set my pistol down on the desk and set both of the unconscious guards up like they were still working. I then turned my attention to the security monitors, pulled out my laptop, and reprogramed all the cameras to run on a loop. I also managed to disable other key security measures around Sand Island like the electronic locks on hanger C and the armory. Once that was taken care of, I sent e-mail to Lt. Colonel Harkin telling him about Hamilton's betrayal and my run in with the 8492nd squadron over the Vladimir Mountains. As I was finishing up, I heard the door open behind me, followed by a gun cocking and being raised.

"Freeze, Castillo," said the person.

I discreetly grabbed my pistol and readied myself to shoot my way out of the building. I turned my head around and saw that the person who had their gun pointed at me was Corporal DaVaughn. He was one of the few people who believed that we were innocent when word got around about how we supposedly attacked the Yuktobanian College. _Maybe I can convince him that we're still innocent._ "DaVaughn, you have to believe me. We're not traitor, we're being set up."

"I seriously doubt that," he said.

"We're being framed by Hamilton. He sent people to kill us while we were RTB from Yuktobania today. We also found out that the President is missing. That's why this war escalated to what it is now."

"Bullshit, there's no way you're going to convince me that you're being set up and after what I saw what you and that bitch, Nagase, did to Hamilton, I have half a mind to kill you. The other half agrees when I heard about those five guards you killed."

"I didn't kill anyone," I said. I had to lie so that I could find out if DaVaughn had seen the bodies himself.

"I saw those guy's faces, they were all dead!" shouted DaVaughn.

"Did you know them?" I asked.

DaVaughn's eye's widened in realization as he let the reality of what I said sink in. "…No… I'd never seen them before."

"Because Hamilton brought them here to kill me and my team," I said. I turned around and pointed the pistol at DaVaughn. He tensed up really hard and I could see him shaking as he pointed his M4 at me. "Take a look at this," I said and I tossed him the gun.

"What is it?"

"It's the weapon I pulled off one of the guards I killed. It's an Mk23 SOCOM. The Osean military uses Sigs, Berettas, and Glocks. Why would an Osean security team need a suppressed handgun to keep order on this base?"

"This could be yours. I remember you said that you don't use a standard issued sidearm," said DaVaughn.

"I don't, my sidearm is a custom made Beretta M9."

"Nothing you say is going to convince me. I'm taking you in," said DaVaughn.

"If you were going to take me in, you would've called for backup by now. You've seen me fight against Nagase and you know that you'd need more than just yourself to get me to lie down. Or maybe it's because you want to believe that Wardog is innocent and you want to hear my side of the story before you make a decision on what you're going to do," I said and I could see him starting to hesitate.

"Don't act like you know me, Castillo."

"Really, then why haven't you called for help yet?" I asked as I subtly unbuttoned my knife holster. DaVaughn was even more hesitant now and I could see his hand tensing up around the trigger of his gun. I was ready to incapacitate DaVaughn, or even kill him if I had to. His dilemma became obvious when I saw him grit his teeth.

"If you're lying to me, I won't hesitate to kill you," said DaVaughn as he lowered his gun and tossed me back the suppressed pistol.

I finished disabling the security systems and we both headed out of the security office. DaVaughn had relaxed a little and slung his weapon over his shoulder. The other guards that I saw in the hallway earlier had all dispersed and started their rounds around the hallways of the building. I still kept my head down as DaVaughn and I made our way outside the building. No one seemed to notice who I was and I wondered how much longer I could keep this up. Eventually, someone would come across the guards I pacified and they might realize what I was up to.

"So where do you plan on going next?" asked DaVaughn.

"Now, I go prepare for our escape," I said. "This'll be a lot easier if we had some kind of transportation."

"Follow me," said DaVaughn and he led me out front to his buggy. I got in the driver's seat and we both headed to the armory. I thought of a list of things I needed and I could only think of two things, but I had to be careful with how I used them. Along the way, I kept listening in on base security's communications. They were all spread out all over the base but they had certain areas locked down tightly. Our rooms, the hangers, the docks, and the armory were all being heavily guarded. The armory was a building that was partially underground to keep the weapons and ammo at a regulated temperature and was located between the gym and a couple of warehouses, behind hangers R-1 and R-2. It housed every weapon and armed vehicle on Sand Island so getting inside was going to be tricky. We parked a good distance away when we arrived at our destination, I saw half a dozen armed guards posted at the Armory's entrance and two dozen more patrolling the perimeter.

"So what's your plan now…Captain?" said DaVaughn.

"Do you know any of those guys?" I asked.

DaVaughn took out a pair of binoculars and started to scan the guards' faces. "Those two over by wall of the armory and those guys by the bushes over there by the gym, I've never seen them before," said DaVaughn as he handed me the binoculars. I spotted the men he was talking about and I took a good look at them. I had never seen them before either and I figured that I could try to squeeze some information out of them.

"Alright, wait here," I said and I got out of the buggy. I left my M16 behind and I headed for the guards over by the bushes first. I was on the left side of the armory building, about twenty yards away from it. The two guards by the bush were unaware that I was sneaking up on them. I had to avoid the lights of other patrolling guards and vehicles. When I could hear both of the guards talking, I hit the deck and began to crawl towards them.

"They'll talk sooner or later," I heard one say.

"It's not like they can say anything to incriminate themselves."

"No shit, but after enough torture, they'll admit to anything to make the pain stop."

"Do you think their Captain will come for them?"

"Pssh, I highly doubt that pussy would try anything. Plus, there's no way he'll be able to get to them."

"Weren't they were going to blow the plane when it set off for the mainland?"

"Yeah, then Hamilton will send a false investigation report about an engine failure or some bullshit story like that."

By the time I was in arms reach of both of the guards, I had learned that the Belkans were embedded deeper within the Osean military than I thought. I pulled out my knife and crouched behind the bushes. When the guards paused in their conversation, I popped up, grabbed the guard on the right, stabbed him in the throat, pulled him behind the bushes while I quickly spun around and pulled his partner behind the bushes, and held my knife at his throat. My hand was over the guard's mouth and I had broken his arm with my leg so that he couldn't fire his weapon to get anyone's attention. He was howling in pain but no one could hear him with my hand over his mouth.

"You're going to tell me where my teammates are and you're going to tell me within the next ten second or I'll snap your neck, understand?" I growled.

The guard nodded and I lifted my hand from his mouth, but as soon as I did, he yelled in an attempt to get the other guards' attention. I slit the guy's throat and quickly popped up from behind the bushes with the guard's rifle and stood where the guards stood.

"Hey, what was that noise," yelled a voice to my left. _Think. He doesn't know what that noise was._

"It was me," I yelled back. "I slammed my finger in the chamber of my rifle. I'm fine though."

"Alright, carry on," said the voice and I saw him walk off.

I quickly moved back behind the bushes and hid both of the dead guard's bodies along with their weapons between them and the wall of the gym. Once that was taken care of, I discreetly made my way towards the armory wall where the next pair of Belkan guards was. I shouldered up against a dumpster as quietly as I could and waited for them to walk by, but they held their position away from me.

"I can't wait 'til we're out of here. Once these assholes are out of the way, our government can move in for the kill."

"Yeah, I can't wait either. I already picked out this house I'm going to commandeer. I showed a picture to my girlfriend and she said she loved it."

"You plan on killing the occupants yourself?"

"Sure, how else am I going to get the place?"

"So who lives in there now?"

"A family of four, last time I saw them. The kids were somewhere around three and six years old."

"Jeez, dude, that's fucking dark! They don't deserve that!"

"Did we deserve to have our land stolen from us all those years ago?"

"Still, you'd actually kill those kids!?"

_Hmm, this guy has a sense of humanity. I can use him._ I continued listening in on the guards as they argued and I spotted the one who was against killing the family. I used their arguing as a distraction while I snuck behind the guard who wanted to kill the family and I drew my knife and pistol. The humanist was still trying to argue his point after I killed his partner by putting a bullet in his head and it took him a second to realize what was going on. I dropped the first guard's body and quickly tackled the other guard to the ground, placing my hand over his mouth and my pistol at his forehead.

"You're against killing innocent people," I whispered. "I respect that enough to consider not killing you. Tell me where Hamilton is and I'll let you live. If you try to call for help, the last thing that'll go through your head is a bullet, understand?" The guard nodded and I slowly raised my hand from his mouth.

"Last I heard, he was over near building 1 but he was hauled off in an ambulance. He might be over in the sick bay," said the guard. _Dammit, he's moving them to keep me guessing. _

"If you're lying to me, I'll come back and finish the job," I said and I pistol whipped the guard upside the head. I took his belt off, tied his hands behind his back, and placed both guards in the dumpster I hid behind. With both guys out of the way, I climbed up onto the roof, opened the vent hatch, and infiltrated the armory. The vent shafts were just wide enough for me to fit through. I had to be careful so that I didn't make too much noise and alert anyone inside. I was able to catch a glimpse of all the guards in the place, including Master Sergeant Blick, the firing range supervisor. I continued crawling towards the main area of the armory where all small arms were held, but I could only get behind the front desk. I unhooked the vent cover and brought it up inside the vent with me. I saw Master Sergeant Blick sitting behind the counter, arguing with one of the guards about obtaining a gun.

"Piss off, that sidearm isn't yours," said Blick, casually.

"I don't care if it's mine or not, hand it over, Master Sergeant," demanded the guard.

"Unless you're Captain Castillo, I'm not giving it to you."

"Why, so you can help him?"

"No, so that way I can kill him with it."

I felt myself frown in disappointment, knowing that I might have to kill Blick. More importantly, why did that guard want my gun? These two continued arguing and it seemed like neither one of them was about to give up. I looked around the room I was over and I spotted the circuit board for the whole building. I could quickly jump down, disable all power in the building, and use the cover darkness to do what I needed to. However, I would alert the whole place and then they'd know that something was up. The only way for me to do what needed to be done was do all of this while remaining undetected by anyone, even while I was wearing my disguise. I back tracked through the air vents and found another vent cover that was directly below a dark corner in the vehicle hanger. The only thing was I now had to sneak all the way to the other side of the armory to get my supplies. The armory wasn't fully lit and I figured that I could use the cover of the shadows to my advantage. _Right, let's get to it._ I dropped down from the vent and took in my surroundings. I was in the vehicle hanger and there were guards patrolling the place. I didn't know exactly how many there were but I ventured a guess between ten and twenty. The hatches of some of the LAVs, Humvees, and tanks were open so I figured I could hide the bodies of any of the guards I incapacitated in there if I needed to. I was hugging the left wall of the armory when I saw a guard leaning against an LAV. He was a familiar face so I decided not to kill him. One thing that stood out about this guard was that he was nodding off. It wasn't until I saw this when I started to feel the fatigue that I had accumulated from the return trip back to Sand Island. My body was sore and my eye lids became heavier and heavier. _Maybe I should hit the mess hall and get some coffee, but first, I'll do this guy a favor and put him to sleep._ I walked up behind the Osean guard, kicked him in the back of his knee, causing him to kneel down, and I put him in a sleeper hold. The guy was out within seconds and I placed him in the back of the LAV he was leaning on. I shook off my exhaustion and pressed on forward. As much as I wanted to sleep, I had to keep moving to save the others. I knocked out a few more guards along the way and by the time I reached the front desk where Blick and the guard were arguing over my gun, I was having trouble keeping myself awake. _Wait, what's that smell?_ I looked on the counter where Blick was sitting and saw a coffee mug sitting there. I'd never thought I'd welcome the scent of hazelnut coffee_. That should keep me going for a bit longer._ The guard was raging that Blick wouldn't hand over my sidearm and I could hear him from halfway across the armory. I was surprised that no one came over to investigate.I'd figure at least someone would tell the guard to shut the hell up or the guard would've held Blick at gun point by now… _Speak of the devil. _

"You better hand over that M9 right now or I'll blow you damn brains out," growled the guard as he leveled his M16 on Blick's head.

Blick threw his hands in the air but he didn't seem all that worried. The guard was another guy whom I didn't recognize and by the way he was threatening Blick, along with him demanding my gun, I was sure that he was one of Hamilton's goons. I sighed in disbelief, put my holster on the back of my belt, and casually walked up behind the guard. I punched him in the kidney first and then followed up by ramming his head into the counter. I let him fall over on the floor after I surreptitiously removed his pistol from his holster and place it on the counter in front of Blick. I kept my head down and Blick was totally muddled as to what just happened.

"I was fucking tired of hearing this dumbass yell. I'd like to trade in my sidearm," I said.

Blick leaned forward and tried to get a good look at me but I kept my face partially covered with the brim of my cover. I had my hand placed on the grip of the suppressed pistol I was carrying in case I had to kill Blick. I really didn't want to because he reminded me a lot of one of my favorite teacher back when I was in high school. I needed to get everything for a plan B, and I knew Blick wouldn't give me what I needed.

"What do you need?" he asked raising one eyebrow at me.

"My sidearm," I said raising my head and showed my face to Blick.

"You got some serious kahunas coming here, Castillo."

"My main goal takes more. Now, am I going to have to hurt you or are you going to aid my progress?"

Blick gave me the stink eye and I was prepared to jump over the counter and knock him out. I saw him shoot a glance at the pistol I gave him and then he looked back at me. _He's going to do it._ As soon as I saw him reach for the pistol, I jumped over the counter and tackled him to the ground. Blick tried scrambling to his feet and he even managed to pull my knife on me. I quickly got up and I pointed the suppressed pistol at him, hoping that he'd give up, but he didn't. When Blick charged at me, I threw the pistol at him, which distracted him for a brief second and allowed me to knock him out soon after. I struck his instep with my foot and hit him in his floating rib and pressure point below his collar bone. When I saw that he was out cold, I hopped back over to the other side of the counter and dragged the other guard's body into the weapons locker. Once they were hidden, I grabbed my M9, a few blocks of C4, and a couple flash grenades. I was about to climb back up the vent when I remembered to grab the coffee mug that was sitting on the counter. I drank it as fast as I could before I climbed back into the vents and made my way towards the way I came in. I jumped down from the roof, dashed towards the bushes, and stashed the C4 and flash bangs I stole from the Armory in them. I had to make my way back towards DaVaughn or else he'd more than likely try to turn on me if I saw him again. I got up from behind the bushes I hid my supplies behind when I was blinded by a flashlight being shined on me. I quickly raise my hands to block out the guy's light while trying to keep my face hidden.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing?" said the guard.

"I had to use the head but I couldn't make it in time," I replied quickly and the guard advanced towards me. _Crap, he going to make me._ When he was close enough, he realized it was me and he tried to radio in my location but before he could, I hit him in the throat with the webbing of my hand and round house kicked him in the jaw, knocking him out cold. _That was rather brutal. _I hid his body in the bushes next to my supplies and started to make my way back to DaVaughn. I had to sneak by the armory's perimeter so that I didn't draw any more attention to myself. When I made it back to the buggy, I saw DaVaughn already in the driver's seat. I got in and we stopped by the bushes, picked up my supplies, and headed for the motor pool.

"So what's next," asked DaVaughn.

"Next, I set up my plan B," I replied.

I placed all the C4 and flash bangs in my bag along with my phone, laptop, and Kei's book. The motor pool wasn't as heavily guarded as the armory, but there were still a number of guards patrolling the compound. I still had to avoid being spotted as I placed C4 under some of the vehicles. I wasn't trying to disable all of them, but I was trying to make a big enough explosion to draw a lot of attention. I also didn't want any of the nearby guards to get caught in the explosion so I had to lure them away somehow. The motor pool was located near building 1. I was headed there next to try and find my sister. _Maybe Hamilton will move the others to the crew room or something if I cause enough trouble, or maybe not._ I still didn't know for sure where the rest of my team was. I also couldn't help but wonder what was going on with the others. If they hadn't taken over the hanger yet, then getting out of here was going to be a lot harder. I looked at my watch and saw that it was 0209hrs. I had to speed this up before the sun rose.

"I'm going to set everything up, but I need you to find out where the rest of my team and my sister are being held. Check hanger B and the second floor conference room in building 1 and then confirm that they're there. Once you do, I need you to check Hamilton's office and see if my sister is there," I said. "We'll communicate through radio channel F."

"Captain, why are you doing this?" asked DaVaughn.

"What do you mean?"

"All of this. You killing people trying to rescue you're team who're trying to evade capture. It's not like they were going to kill you before."

I turned towards him and sighed heavily. "Washington, there's a reason we're on the run. We just found out that the President is missing and that Belka is involved in all of this. Hamilton is the head of everything on Sand Island."

"Wouldn't it make sense for someone who held Perrault's position to be in charge of this 'operation' you think Hamilton's heading?"

"Perrault already tried killing Grimm, Genette, and Pops," I said.

"So then Perrault's in on it too?"

"No, he's just an asshole. Hamilton manipulated him to into thinking that we're traitors and now, everyone on the base is out looking for us. Hamilton's using the first five guys I killed as a reason to shoot me on sight. Anyways, Hamilton's overall goal is to drag this war on as long as he can so that Belka can prepare to make their move."

"So what is their move?"

"I don't know! I'm not making this up and yet, Hamilton is still manipulating everyone on Sand Island. Clearly it's successful," I exclaimed softly.

DaVaughn leaned back in his seat and sighed heavily. He rubbed his eyes and looked at me like he was tired of listening to me. "So, after you rescue your team, where do you plan on going after you get away? Why don't you just turn yourselves in to the actual authorities?"

"Because we don't know how deep Belka is involved in all this. They could have people who are running your government. If we turned ourselves in, we'd be dead within a matter of days," I said. I didn't know what else to tell him. I gave him all the information I knew in a nutshell but I'm not sure if he believed me at all. "Look DaVaughn, I know you still don't believe me but you wouldn't be helping me if you didn't have some kind of hunch that you knew I was telling the truth. Eventually, everything will come full circle and you'll know that I was right."

"And if you're wrong?"

"Well then, find comfort in the fact that I'll be burning in hell," I said and I headed off to the motor pool.

The place was better lit than the armory and I knew the cover of night wasn't going to help me. I only had five blocks of C4 and I saw that there were more than fifteen vehicles in the area. They were pretty spread out and the area was too well lit to sneak around. _I could cut the power in some areas so that way the guards won't become too suspicious of my presence. _I could blow the nearby fuel tanks and use the distraction to draw them away. _No, then the fire crews would move in and keep everyone back while they worked._ My only option was to work with the lights on and avoid neutralizing anyone. I was approaching the front gate to the motor pool and saw one guard at his post. I couldn't hop the fence without anyone seeing me, so my only way in was through the front gate. I was fifty yards away from the gate and I shot out the one light that lit the gate with the suppressed pistol. The guard jumped a little and came out of his booth to investigate. I used the distraction to sneak up to the checkpoint and knock him out while he was trying to figure out what was going on with the light. With him out of the way, I got to work planting the C4 on the trucks and Humvees in the area. As I was rigging the last truck, I heard two guards approaching and I dove into the back to hide.

"Castillo's going to pay for what he did. I knew all five of those guys from basic," said a familiar voice.

"Wow, I'm sorry, sir. I can't imagine how you feel. Why were they dressed in tactical gear though?" said the other guard. I had a feeling that one of the guards was Belkan and the other was Osean. I peeked through the tarp that covered the back of the truck I was hiding in and saw that one of the guards was Reynolds; the guy I went to the shooting range with that one day in November. I didn't know the other guy but he was another familiar face.

"What do you mean?" asked Reynolds.

"Well I saw what they were wearing and no one would wear that kind of gear unless you knew you were going to have to fight a pretty serious battle," said the other guard.

"Well, the other security guard tried taking Castillo's knife away from him but threatened to kill the guy if he tried. It makes sense that they'd go in prepared."

"Well yeah, but over a knife? I've seen Castillo carry it with him everywhere he went and no one ever bothered him about it before. Why would they need to wear Kevlar to take his knife away?"

It was clear that Reynolds was being pressured by the other guard's questions. I saw him reach behind his back and pull his knife. _He's going to kill this guy._ I couldn't risk blowing my cover, but I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I let this guy die. Reynolds could easily pin this guard's death on me too. I had to save him and with some luck, I could get this guy to help me. I saw Reynolds grab the guard by the shoulder and attempted to thrust his knife into the guards gut. The guard managed to catch it in time but Reynolds had already drawn his pistol on the guard. The guard was wide eyed and he knew Reynolds was going to try and kill him but I didn't let him get the shot off. I popped out from behind the truck and shot Reynolds in the head and the guard stood frozen in place, wondering if he was dead. He slowly opened his eyes and saw me standing there with my gun now pointed at him. I brought my finger to my lips telling him to keep quiet.

"You're, you're Castillo," he whispered.

"Shut up," I growled as I continued holding my pistol on him.

"What are you going to do?" he asked timidly.

"Rescue my friends," I said. "Now, if you so much as hinder my progress in any way, you're going to lose a limb. Otherwise, I won't hurt you."

The guard nodded and I forced him to help me load Reynolds's body into the back of the truck before we walked to the front gate. I no longer had my gun pointed at him and we walked towards the front of the motor pool like nothing suspicious was going on. However, I could feel how anxious he was and I knew he was going to try something sooner or later. I was an accused traitor and the fact that I killed Reynolds gave him enough reason to believe that I was going to kill him next, but I wasn't. When we reached the front gate, he saw the unconscious guard in the security booth and the guard that I saved rushed over to his side. I saw him relax when he saw the guy breathing and he turned to look at me as he stood up.

"I'm sorry about this," I said. The face the guard made when he I said that I was sorry almost made me want to laugh. I didn't though because I quickly hit both pressure point on each side of his neck and I kicked the pressure point on his ankle, causing him to collapse. I caught his body before he hit the ground and placed him next to the gate guard in the security booth.

"DaVaughn, have you found them yet?" I hailed over the radio.

"Yeah, they're in the building 1 conference room," he replied.

"What about Amanda, did you find her?"

"No, I don't think I could ask around about her without people becoming suspicious either."

"Alright, thanks anyways."

I ran as fast as I could to building 1 and saw a few guards posted at every doorway, checking the IDs of everyone who came and went. The main power was out but the backup power system was now activated and the lights that hung on the wall were now lighting the building. I wanted to detonate the C4 to lure the guards away, but I needed to wait until I rescued the others first. _Maybe I could break into the building._ I ran to the east side of the building and hid in the bushes that were planted along the wall. I peeked into the windows and saw that some of the rooms were occupied by officers and other personnel who were still working. The windows couldn't be opened from the outside and I found a room that was empty. There was a hot cup of coffee sitting on the desk and I knew whoever the office belonged to would soon come back. _0241hrs, I have to hurry. There's no other way._ I busted the window open, unlocked it, and quickly climbed inside after I made sure no one on the outside was watching me. I hurried to the door and as I reached for the doorknob, someone was already opening it from the other side. I quickly pressed myself against the wall and waited for the person to enter. Once she was inside, I punched her in the back of her head, knocking her out. She was one of the Majors who were in charge of logistics and I had spoken to her only a hand full of time since I arrived on Sand Island. I picked her up, and set her on the couch to make it look like she had fallen asleep there. _Sorry, ma'am, but I can't get caught now._ I peeked out the door to make sure it was clear and then I headed down the hallway with my head down. I worked my disguise as best as I could while I made my way to the second floor of the building. I was almost to the conference room and I saw two armed guards posted at the door. I couldn't look inside the room without showing my face to the guards. As I walked by the room, I rubbed the side of my face so the guards wouldn't see who I was and I entered the room next door to the conference room. It was another office like the one I entered the building through, only there was someone already in there. He didn't recognize me until I got close enough to knock him out by slamming his head on his desk. I posed him like he had fallen asleep while working and I climbed out his window. I hung off the ledge of the window and jumped to the next window ledge so that I could look inside the conference room. _They're here! Thank God. _Nelms, Boldman, and Rockford were all inside and I could see that they were handcuffed to the table they were sitting at, while a 1st Lieutenant that I'd never seen before, interrogated them. There were also a couple of guards in the room with their guns pointed at my guys' heads. I had to plan this carefully if I wanted to get them out alive. I back tracked into the office I climbed out of, grabbed a paper clip off the desk, and slipped it under my watch band. I then walked back out into the hallway with the C4 detonator in one hand and a flash grenade in the other. _God, forgive me if I kill any Osean soldiers in the next few second._ I approached the two guards at the door and when I was in arms reach of the first guard, I punched him in the side of the neck, pressed the C4 detonator, knocked out the second guard by round house kicking him in the jaw, opened the door to the conference room as the vehicles from the motor pool exploded, threw the flash grenade, and stunned everyone in the room. The guards were all staggering around from the effect of my grenade and I disabled them as quickly as I could. I ran towards the nearest guard and choke slammed him into the ground. I quickly ran towards the second guard and jumped to deliver a spinning back kick into his chest. He flew back and hit the wall hard enough to knock him out. With those two out of the way, I jumped over the table and knocked out the third guard by running my foot into the side of his neck and I punched the last guard in the stomach hard enough to make him pass out. The interrogation officer had recovered from the effects of the flash grenade in time to try and put up a fight. He swung a right hook at me and I ducked to avoid it. I countered by connecting a right hook to his jaw and used the momentum of the punch to spin around and elbow the guy in his inner left thigh, causing him to kneel down. I then quickly grabbed the guy's head and knocked him out by running my right knee into his head. I quickly dragged the bodies of the two guards, posted outside the conference room, inside and placed them in the corner away from the door. The radio was erupting with chatter about how the motor pool was under attack and heard that a lot of the security from all over the base was headed that way.

"Captain," said Kyle. "You came for us."

"We're all getting out of here," I replied as grabbed the guards keys and freed my teammates.

"What was that explosion?" asked Michelle.

"A distraction I created so that I could get you out of here. Now, I need you to do exactly what I say or we all run the risk of getting captured."

"Where are the others?" asked Erica.

"I can't say right now," I replied as I tapped my ear and pointed to the ceiling.

"Okay, so how do we get out of here?"

I got up, walked to the window, opened it, and looked down. "Aim for the bushes."

"You can't be serious," said Michelle.

"Broken bones heal and bullets can kill. Your choice," I said.

Kyle was the first to see my reasoning and he jumped out the window without hesitation. Erica followed his lead while Michelle was still hesitant about jumping as she looked down. I argued and argued with her until I decided to just push her out. Kyle managed to catch her and I followed them out, more stylishly of course. I dove out the window and tucked and rolled when I hit the ground. I led the others away from building 1 and found a good place for them to hide in the tree line north of the barracks while I went back to get my sister.

"The others are over near hanger C. I need you to wait here while I get my sister," I told them.

"Captain, Hamilton has her under heavy guard. There's no way you'll be able to get to her without getting caught," said Kyle.

"Who said anything about me not getting caught," I replied.

"You can't go back. There's nothing you can do for her now."

I glared at him and I had to fight the urge to snap his neck. "There's always something I can do to help her. I'm not going to sit back and wait to hear that my last sibling died because I didn't try to save her."

"You have to leave her," insisted Kyle.

I got up to leave them and Kyle tried holding me back. I kept pushing him off of me and after he tried for a fifth time, I pulled my gun on him. "I'm not leaving this base until I know she's safe. Leave without me or don't leave at all. I've made my choice and now it's time you did too. Join up with the others or stay here with a bullet in your chest."

The three of them looked at me with fear in their eyes. I didn't know how else to convince them to leave without me. I was trying to look out for them but the way they saw it, I was wasting my life to save someone who couldn't be saved. I lowered my gun and headed back towards building 1. I scouted out the place first and saw that there were a fewer guards around the building. Once I saw my way was clear, I made my way to the window that looked into Hamilton's office. The blinds were closed but I could hear someone in there. I listened to them real carefully and came to the conclusion that she wasn't there. Her voice was being played back in the hopes that I would be led into a trap. _I need to find Hamilton. _After what Kei and I had done to him, I figured that he was likely in the sick bay. A security buggy drove by as I made my way back to the tarmac and I waved him over. He stopped next to me and I knocked him out so that I could commandeer his vehicle. I hauled ass to the sick bay and carried the unconscious guard with me. I told everyone who asked me what happened to him that I found him by the armory and when they asked me why I didn't call it in on the radio, I told them that my radio was busted and that his was missing. I fireman carried the guy all the way to other end of the sick bay and I kept my eyes peeled for Hamilton. As I continued down the hall, I started to get worried that I was wrong when I didn't see him in any of the rooms I passed. Then, I came up to my sister's office.

"Hold still, Captain." _That voice…_

"That's 'Major', you little bitch," said Hamilton.

_I got you now you son of a bitch._ I peeked into the office and saw four guards who I knew were part of Hamilton's posse. Amanda was bandaging up Hamilton's bloody face at gun point while his guards kept watch in case she tried anything funny. I readied a flash grenade and checked my remaining ammo I had for the suppressed pistol. I only had three bullets left and I knew I had to go loud and use my M9. _I need to deal with the guards and get the hell out of here._ I threw the flash grenade into the room, quickly walked into the office after it went off, threw guard's unconscious body at the closest guard, and quickly drew my pistol. My reflexes took over as I felt time slow down and shot each guard in the head before they realized what was going on, but I wasn't fast enough to stop Hamilton from getting a hold of my sister. He put his pistol to Amanda's head while he hid behind her.

"I was wondering when you'd show up," growled Hamilton.

"Come on, Hamilton. You've seen what I could do in a hand to hand fight. That's nothing compared to what I can do with a gun," I said.

"You won't do it. You wouldn't put your sister's life in jeopardy to kill me."

"It's not risking her life when I know what I'm doing."

"You don't have the balls to do it."

"I already rescued the others of my team and survived a dog fight against the legendary Belkan pilots your people like to boast about. I think I've earned the right to be cocky."

I could see Hamilton hesitating and I seized the moment to shoot his pistol away from Amanda's head. Amanda then elbowed Hamilton in the head and we both ran out of the room as he rolled on the ground in pain. As we ran out into the hallway, Amanda pointed out a number of guards headed our way and they started firing at us. We both ran as fast as our legs could carry us and I reached into my bag for the last flash grenade I had. I slipped it into Amanda's lab coat as we dashed for the exit, but we were cut off by more guards. They yelled at us to get on our knees and put our hands up. We had no other choice but comply.

"I left a surprise in your right pocket," I whispered. "Once I get free, use it. Just remember to pull the pin."

The guards told me to drop all my weapons and I dropped both of my pistols, my knife, and pack. They then forced me to lie on the ground and cuffed my hands behind my back. One of the guards pulled Amanda aside, but didn't put her in cuffs. I was forced onto my feet and the guards had removed the cover from my head to reveal who I was. Hamilton was storming down the hallway and made a beeline for me. Once he was close enough, he punched me as hard as he could in the jaw.

"You're good, Castillo, but you seriously didn't think that I wouldn't have my bases covered?"

"Not good, just clever," I replied. Hamilton struck me in the gut and kneed me in the head. I was leaning back against the wall and I slipped the paper clip out from under my watch band. "Damn, Amanda, he hit hits like you," I mocked.

Hamilton laughed sarcastically and proceeded to punch and kick me several more times. I was down on one knee because the pain was that intense. I spit the blood out of my mouth and Hamilton grabbed my hair to force me onto my feet. _I guess I should've gotten my hair cut._ He pulled my head back, pulled out my knife, and waved it in front of my face.

"Sir, that's going too far," said one of the guards.

"Shut the fuck up!" yelled Hamilton.

He smiled and tried to stab me in my shoulder, but he wasn't expecting me to push the knife away and turn it around on him. I now had the knife at Hamilton's throat and I waited for Amanda to make her move. All the other guards had their guns leveled on me and Amanda quickly threw the flash grenade. We both covered our eyes before it went off and then I grabbed my knife, M9, and bag before we darted past the guards and ran out of the building. We both hauled ass towards the tree line where I last saw the others. The guards started shooting at us but they couldn't hit anything in this darkness. Tracers were flying by us like fireflies in the night.

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, we're so going to die!" exclaimed Amanda.

"Shut up. Just follow me and we'll be alright," I shouted and we continued running through the tree line, north of the island.

We continued running through the woods for a couple more minutes before I was sure we had lost the guards. We then headed behind hanger C and we couldn't see the others. However, there were guards patrolling around the hangers. _Kei and the others couldn't have made it into the hanger without drawing the guards' attention. This was a two person job. _I looked at my watch and saw that it was 0259 hours. I observed the patrol routes of the guards and saw that there were no blind spots that I could exploit.

"Dammit, we can't…"

"Shush, did you hear that?" said Amanda suddenly.

I paused for a moment and listened carefully to my surroundings. The sound of a branch snapping was enough for me to draw my knife and pistol and I started to cautiously move through the woods. I was nervous as all hell and I tried to breathe quietly because I felt like whoever was there could hear me inhaling and exhaling. I kept Amanda close to me as I made my way to where the sound came from, but I couldn't see anything in the dark. I had to rely on my instincts and other senses. The sound of someone dropping down behind me was enough to trigger my fight instinct and Amanda dove for cover. Whoever it was knocked the knife out of my hand and I tried swinging a left hook, but he ducked and countered with a round house kick. I ducked as well and tried elbowing the person but he locked arms with me for a split second before I was able to push him back far enough so that I could get a better grip on the person and strike him in the chest with my knee. After I hit him in the chest the second time, the guy managed to twist out of my grip and attempted to elbow me in the head. I blocked the attack and he tried to back hand me. I ducked again and attempted to tackle the person to the ground but he put me in a head lock and we scrambled on the ground for a bit before I was able to get loose and grab him from behind. He tried to elbow me again, but I blocked it again and managed to restrain him. He managed to break my hold and attempted to wrap their arms around my neck. Whoever it was couldn't get a good enough hold on me and I was able to toss him over my shoulder and draw my gun, but he did the same thing after he rolled on the ground and turned towards me. We were both breathing heavily and I could barely see the person's face. The sound of his breathing made me realize he was a woman.

"Kei?" I whispered.

"Antonio," she replied.

I lowered my gun and so did she. I moved in to hug her and she did the same thing. Amanda got up off the ground and I heard the others get up from their hiding spots and gather around us. Everyone from my team was here I felt myself smile, knowing that they were all safe. Pops had made his way past us and started looking towards the hanger. I could see that he was trying to think of a way to get inside, but under these conditions, we couldn't get in.

"Not so heavily guarded, eh?" I said.

"Well, I'm out of ideas," said Pops.

"Kei and I will take care of it," I said and Kei looked at me in surprise.

"Wait, what?"

"You and I have to clear the way for everyone, but we have to do it fast. Hamilton has everyone on the island looking for us even harder than ever. We have to get in through that side door there," I said to Kei.

"No way, Captain, it's too dangerous," said Michelle.

"That's what your boyfriend said when I went back to rescue my sister, and yet, here we are," I said. "Will you just learn to trust me already?"

"You pulled a gun on me you son of a bitch! How can I trust you after that?!" exclaimed Kyle.

"We're all alive, aren't we?!" I snapped. "When it comes to infiltration and sabotage, I know what the hell I'm doing. And before you ask, there's still a lot you should know about me, but I'm under orders not to tell you."

Everyone except for Kei looked at me, wondering what I was talking about. I couldn't tell them now because we were running out of time. We had to hurry up and escape Sand Island before the sun rose. I took off the blouse jacket of my disguise so that it wouldn't restrict my movement. The night breeze felt great on my arms but I couldn't enjoy it for long. Kei and I quickly made our way towards the hanger and we both dove for the ground when a guard shined his flashlight in our direction. My heart was racing because I knew Hamilton would send everybody here to kill us if we were discovered. The guard turned his light away from us and I could hear Kei breathe a sigh of relief.

"So what's the plan?" asked Kei as we slowly crawled forward.

"We have to take out those two guards right there," I said pointing at them. "Then we quickly take out those three, there. And then we have to take out that one."

"They'll see us," protested Kei.

"Only if we don't move fast enough," I whispered. "We can do this. Just move quickly and quietly and we'll get everyone out of here."

Kei nodded and we both got up to get to work. I looked over at Kei as she sprinted towards the first two guards I pointed out while I sprinted towards the next three I called out. When she was close enough to the guards, she ran her fist into the back of one guard, hitting his Kidney and causing him to collapse to the ground in pain. Kei then wrapped her arm around the neck of the other guard and rolled him over her back and they both fell to the ground while Kei put him into a sleeper hold until he passed out. The guard she hit in the kidney was still writhing in pain on the ground and she quickly hit him in the back of the head to knock him out. While she took out those two, I was quickly approaching my three guards. I ejected them magazine out of my pistol and threw it at the head of the guard who was facing towards me the most. He held his face in his hands and the other two guards quickly turned their heads to try and find me, but before they had a chance to react, I was already in the process of neutralizing them. I drop kicked the guard on the right in the chest and grabbed the other guards head in midair as I fell to the ground. The guard that I had drop kicked had gotten the wind knocked out of him and the second guard was knocked out after I brought his head down to the ground hard. I quickly got to my feet and knocked out the guard I had hit in the head by squeezing the two pressure points in his arm and hitting him on the side of the head. Kei then dashed past me to knock out the final guard that I had pointed out. The guard had just spotted Kei and when she was only inches but she knocked his ass out. She put her hand over the guard's mouth, hooked her leg behind his, and slammed his head against the ground. I took a look around and gave Kei thumbs up to signal that we were clear. Kei picked up the guards we had just knocked out and carried them over to where the others were hiding. Everyone else helped us hide the other bodies. We took their pistols and flashlights and then we headed for the side doors of hanger C, but the doors were locked.

"Just shoot the lock off," said Michelle.

"And let the other guards know that we're here?" said Grimm.

"Right, then kick the door in."

Kei rolled her eyes, pulled the bobby pins out of Michelle's hair, and began to pick the lock. _That is so damn awesome. _Pops tried to tell everyone else to keep an eye out for any guards that might try to sneak up on us, but Kei had already unlocked the side door of the hanger and we all headed inside. The hanger was dark and we could only see where we shined our flashlights. Pops' training planes were T-45 Goshawks and he was right when he said that he maintained all his planes well. We prepared to go for our final flight as the Sand Island squadron, but there were only three G-suits in the hanger. That wasn't the only problem. There were seven of us, eight if we counted Kirk, and we all couldn't squeeze into these planes.

"We have to find another plane we can use to get out of here," I said.

"Don't be foolish, Blaze. There's no way we can get to the other hangers with all those guards out there and we're out of time. We have to leave now!" said Pops.

"I'm not leaving anyone behind," I growled.

"We have to, or else we're all going to die."

"No…"

"Captain, I know this must be hard for you to accept, but we don't have a choice. Someone has to stay," said Erica.

I didn't want to accept it, but they were right. We had to leave someone behind and I knew who it had to be. "Dammit," I muttered to myself as I clenched my fists. Kei walked up to me and she placed her hand on my shoulder, only this time it didn't calm me down. I looked at my sister and she realized the choice I had to make.

"No," she said quietly in shock. "No, no, no, you can't!"

"I'm sorry, Amanda," I said trying to keep my grief under control. "You have to stay."

"There has to be another way!" she argued.

"There isn't. We're risking our lives trying to escape of Sand Island like this. I don't want you dying along with me."

"We have to go, now!" insisted Pops.

"You're not going anywhere," said a voice from the dark side of the hanger.

Kei, Kyle, Erica, Michelle, Grimm, and I all raise our guns and flashlights in the direction the voice came from. I was shocked to see Senior Master Sergeant Rachel, Mariah, and Adam all pointing assault rifles at us. Pops seemed like he was surprised most of all. I liked Pops' ground crew but the fact that they were holding guns on us made me uneasy. The look in their eyes suggested that they didn't want to believe we'd betray our own country.

"How did you get in here?" asked Pops.

"We knew you'd try to use your training jets to get out of here," said Rachel.

"And now we're going to take you in," said Adam as he raised a radio up to his mouth.

"You honestly think I won't kill you?" I said, trying to discourage him.

Adam froze in hesitation while Rachel and Mariah held their guns on us. "You're bluffing."

I pulled out my blood stained knife and tossed it at their feet. I could see their faces when they saw the blood smear on the ground. "That blood belongs to a few guards I had to slip by in order to help me and my team escape. So if you still think I'm bluffing, try calling for help. You'll see how serious I am," I yelled.

Everyone in the hanger just gawked at me as I leveled my pistol on Adam, waiting for him to make his move. Nobody moved a muscle as Adam and I stared each other down. My finger was only a hair away from sending a bullet into his head. I told my team I was going to get them out of here and I was bent on keeping my promise. It wasn't until I thought about this that I had realized what I was doing. I had killed several people in cold blood; I pointed a gun and a member of my own team, and now this. I started to feel guilty about holding my gun on Kyle and now I was doing it to Adam. My hesitation grew and I had to keep it from showing if I was going to stop his call for help. Adam could only glare at me while he debated within himself on whether or not to rat us out. _Please, don't keep us from doing the right thing._

"You're not kidding, are you?"

"No, I'm not. So don't make me do it," I said.

"Alright, you win," said Adam as he lowered the radio from his mouth.

I lowered my gun and told the others to hurry up and finish preparing the planes for our escape. I grabbed Amanda and headed towards the back of the hanger while Rachel, Mariah, and Adam helped the others. Once I was out of earshot of everyone, I sat down with Amanda on the work bench and looked at her.

"You have to stay here," I said calmly.

"They'll kill me if I stay," she argued.

"No, they won't. Hamilton was using you as a way to get to me and my team. If he knows I'm dead then killing you would seem pointless. He still has Osean eyes on him and he wouldn't throw his position away just like that."

"I'm still scared," sobbed Amanda as she wept on my shoulder.

"I know you are, but right now I need you to be brave."

"Blaze," whispered Kei. "We're ready to go."

I released my sister and got up, but she grabbed my sleeve. "Please don't leave me, Anthony! Don't leave me alone!" begged Amanda.

I flashed back to the day of the Curtis attack. Those were the exact same words she said when I left her to find the rest of our family. I no longer wanted to leave with the others. I wanted to stay with my sister. I couldn't leave her alone again. I saw her as the frightened little five year old girl that I had always viewed her as, but now I saw it more than ever. I didn't know what was going to happen and I feared for her. I looked back at Kei and she now knew that my dilemma had returned, stronger than ever.

"Kei… I can't leave her," I whispered.

"I know, Antonio, but we need you."

"I can't, you have to get the others out of here."

"I'm not leaving without you."

"Go without me," I said raising my voice with tears in my eyes.

"No, I…we need…"

"NO! NOT AGAIN!" I shouted as I stood up and stormed towards her. I was shaking from the anger, fear, and sadness I felt. Kei looked at me in terror and understanding while everyone else just looked at me in terror. Nothing could stop my tears from showing as I tried to catch my breath. "I have to make sure she'll be safe."

"She'll be safe," said Rachel. "I'll make sure they won't do anything to her."

"Rachel…" I began.

"I know what it's like to leave someone you love. Family is one of the closest things you can keep to your heart," said Rachel as she grabbed a chain around her neck that held her husband's wedding ring. "I'll keep her safe, I swear."

"You can trust her, Blaze," said Pops.

"I'll keep you safe, Amanda," said Rachel.

I wiped the tears from my eyes and pulled out my phone. "Listen, if she can't get hold of Lt. Colonel Nathan Harkin, try contacting him with this. The pass code is 2212 and if you can't get a signal by the time you wake up, try contacting him at this number using a regular phone," I said showing Rachel in the notes section of my phone.

"Anthony, please don't go," begged Amanda again.

"I have too" I said and I hugged her. "Whatever happens, just know that I love you."

"I love you too," she replied and I put her to sleep.

_I know sis._ I picked Amanda up and took her to the back storage room of the hanger and set her down in the corner. I didn't want to leave her like this. I wanted to make sure she was safe before I left with the others.

Everyone climbed into the cockpits of the T-45s and Pops placed Kirk in Genette's lap. Pops had developed a special harness for Kirk so that they could fly together from time to time. It pissed me off that we were taking Kirk along with us instead of my sister, but I had to trust Master Sergeant Rachel. Before Kei and I strapped ourselves into our planes, we had to knock out Rachel, Adam, and Mariah so that they had a chance to be proven innocent. I placed them in the same closet as Amanda and I took one look back before I made sure everything was set for us to go.


	23. The Great Escape Part III

**Chapter 22 - The Great Escape Part III**

**December 7, 2010 0324hrs Sand Island AFB**

Everyone was strapped into their seats while I was left to open the hanger doors. The plan was for us to time our engine start up with the opening of the hanger doors so that we could move onto the flight line and taxi onto the runway as quickly as we could before the guards could regroup and halt our escape. Once we were in the air, we'd be at the mercy of the Osean Air Force. Our T-45s didn't have a single weapon on them because they were all locked away in the ordinance hanger. We were going to be flying totally exposed and we knew this would likely be a one way trip. I looked at everyone and they all nodded their heads, signaling me that they were ready. _Alright, here we go. _I opened the hanger doors and quickly ran to the cockpit of my plane. I quickly strapped my bag to my back and then strapped myself into my seat. Once the hanger doors were three quarters of the way open, we all started our engines at the same time and started to roll out. Pops led the way while Grimm and Kei flanked him. I was trailing them so that way I could make sure they were going to be alright. As soon as I rolled out onto the flight line, bullets started to pelt our planes mercilessly.

"Everyone, keep your heads down and continue to make your way towards the primary runway," said Pops.

"No shit!" shouted Michelle.

I hunkered down inside my cockpit and kept peeking over the instrument panel to estimate how much further we had to go, but the bullets that shattered through the canopy weren't the least bit comforting. If it hadn't been for our flight helmets and oxygen masks, we'd all have a face full of glass and shrapnel by now. We were taking too much fire and I didn't think we were going to make it to the runway before one of the guards landed a lucky hit. I had to do something. I drew my pistol, stuck my arm out of a large hole in my canopy, and started to fire blindly at the guards. I wasn't aiming to hurt them, but instead I was trying to suppress their gun fire a little. I unloaded my pistol on them and it actually seemed to work, but not a whole lot.

"Argh," screamed Kyle.

"Nelms, are you alright?" I shouted.

"A bullet grazed my shoulder, I'm alright though."

"Hang on guys, we're almost there," said Pops.

I peeked over the instrument panel and saw that we were coming up on the turn towards the main runway. I sat up in my seat and gripped the controls of my plane in preparation for takeoff. Once Pops, Grimm and Kei got into position for takeoff, they applied full throttle and shot down the runway.

"Okay, let's get out of here," said Pops.

I slammed the throttle all the way forward and I started to speed down the runway. We were still taking fire from the guards but they weren't doing any real damage to our planes any more. I saw the others lift off the ground and claw for altitude. Once I felt my plane lift off the ground, I pulled up the landing gear and fell into formation into the lead position, even though there wasn't any point. Old habits die hard I guess.

"So where do we go now," asked Grimm.

"We no longer have a home to return to," said Pops.

"I know a place. Just keep heading north," I said and we all turned towards vector 000.

"Where are we going?" asked Grimm.

"With luck, hopefully Usea," I replied.

"Why Usea," asked Erica. But before I could answer, I was cut off by a voice over the radio.

"Attention, all Air Force planes! Enemy spy elements have made off with four training jets and are heading north. Find them, and shoot them down. Repeat, all Air Force planes…" hailed the voice over the wideband radio channel.

"That's Hamilton's voice," exclaimed Grimm. "The bastard…"

"Shit," I muttered. "Alright, everyone apply full throttle and keep moving. We're about to have some company."

"Guess I'll try my hand at combat maneuvering then, excuse me while I take the lead. Follow me, people," said Pops and he rolled into position in front of me.

"Combat maneuvering… Pops, shouldn't you let Blaze lead us out of here?" asked Erica.

"Yeah, he should." I said in an agitated voice.

"You're pretty tired, Blaze. Let me lead you guys out of here," said Pops.

"I'd be more than happy to if I wasn't expecting a knife in my back," I mumbled.

"What's your problem, Blaze?" asked Kei.

"Genette, is Pops hiding something from us?" I asked.

"I think he is, Captain," said Grimm.

"What happened when you went to see Perrault?"

"He told us that he was just about to call Pops to ask him some questions. In the end, he held us at gun point, asking who Pops really is," said Grimm.

"So Pops, care to come clean?" I asked.

I looked at Pops and I could see him hanging his head in the cockpit. He looked back at all of us before he sighed and revealed who he really was. "My name…is Wolfgang Buchner. I was a Colonel in the Belkan Air Force during the war fifteen years ago."

"You!" exclaimed Kei. "Blaze, he's the one who…"

"I know, but I want to hear his side of the story first," I said and we all waited for Pops to fill us in.

"I was assigned a mission during the Belkan war. I was ordered to destroy an allied controlled city to halt their advance from proceeding further into Belka. In good conscious, I couldn't carry out the mission, so I ran," said Pops.

"The Round Table…" I muttered.

"Huh?" said Genette.

"The Round Table, area B7R, was Buchner's last known location before he was shot down by Galm team. He was listed as MIA because they couldn't find his body."

"Wait, how do you know this?" asked Kyle.

"I read history."

"He's right," said Pops. "After I was shot down, I met up with Captain Bartlett. After some initial friction, I was able to tell him everything and he rescued me from the people who wanted me dead. He even convinced the Osean soldiers that rescued us that I was an Osean pilot who stole a Belkan uniform to evade capture."

"But wouldn't they have tried to look you up in the squadron data base to confirm your identity?" asked Michelle.

"Yeah, but I got lucky. A Belkan infiltration group had set off an EMP on the base Bartlett was stationed at, which was a staging point for a major allied offensive, to cripple the allies' forces and his squadron data was destroyed. The brass had to reconstruct personnel records and I slipped in by giving them a false identity."

"So, Captain Bartlett wasn't a spy?" asked Grimm.

"No, he was a man who was dedicated to doing the right thing, regardless of what others might think. If our military had found out about him helping me, Bartlett would probably be in prison or dead and I'd just be dead."

"Besides being a Belkan Colonel working within the Osean government, what other reasons are there for people to demand your head," asked Genette.

"Remember those Belkan Aces I told you about?" asked Pops. Genette knew what he was talking about right away and Pops had to fill the rest of us in. I never knew that Osea had recruited Belkan pilots after the war fifteen years ago, to strengthen the OADF. It was right then that I understood how Belka was able to infiltrate the Osean military. "Anyways, they were also looking for me because they'd heard rumors that I was still alive. For the past fifteen years, Bartlett's been protecting me from them."

"But why betray your own country? You're Belkan nobility. You could've lived a care free life under your family's name," I said.

"It wasn't that simple," said Pops solemnly.

"So, what was your mission?"

Pops didn't say anything and it made me suspect that he was assigned to do something that he would've ended up regretting. I thought back to everything that Pops had said to all of us since we arrived at Sand Island. All the advice and moral support that he gave us wasn't something that a person without ethics would say. His mission must've had something to do with a large loss of human life. _I know what his mission was now._

"We can trust him. While he's gathering his thoughts, I got something to tell the rest of you," I said.

"Antonio…" said Kei.

I gathered my thoughts and I decided to tell them everything. I couldn't leave anything out without telling them I was Mobius 1 at the age of seventeen. Everything came out and they all just listened. I told them about my involvement in Project Pitbull and how it was connected to my career as Mobius 1. Of course, the reactions from my team were mostly skeptical. They didn't believe me. I didn't mention Kei's involvement because I didn't think she wanted me to.

"So you expect us to believe that you're some kind super spy or something?" asked Michelle.

"I don't expect you to believe anything. I'm just telling you what happened and you're free to judge for yourselves. Besides, how do you think I was able to rescue you?" I replied.

"You could've just been extremely lucky."

"Or he could be telling the truth," said Erica.

"Think what you want, but that's who I am. Anyways, Rockford, keep your hands on the controls. I don't want to crash in case I can't stay awake."

"What the hell? I can't fly this thing!"

"Don't worry, Michelle, we'll be flying at this altitude and speed for the duration of this flight," said Pops.

I tried to relax and close my eyes. I was so tired and I wanted nothing more than to go to sleep. The wind that blew through the holes in the canopy made it extremely hard for me to fall into a quiet slumber. I wasn't wearing my flight suit because I was still wearing the uniform I stole from the guard I knocked out and I left the top at the spot where I met up with Kei and them when we met up behind hanger C. All I could do was lean back in the ejection seat and lazily grip the controls of the plane. This would be a miserable way to die.

"To answer your question, Blaze, I was ordered to Nuke a city in my own country to halt the allied advance," said Pops.

_Okay, that's a miserable way to die._ "I see…" I sighed.

We continued flying north as Pops led the way. I didn't know if he was going to get us killed or if he was trying to save us, but he was our only hope for now. The sun was starting to rise and under different circumstances, I would've loved to watch it. Even though I couldn't go to sleep, I was glad I was able to relax a little. All we could really do is hold formation and keep alert. I couldn't pay attention well enough to anything because of the cold air. I was shivering and I swear the others could hear me through the radio, even if they didn't say anything. A warm blanket and a hot meal sounded so good but at the rate we were going, it seemed like we'd die before I got either one. The coffee I drank from the armory started to wear off and my eye lids were becoming heavier and heavier. I wanted nothing more than to go to sleep. I bet if I try hard enough, I can still sleep like this. _What the hell, I'll give it a shot._ I took a deep breath, folded my arm and hunched over in my seat. _So…warm._ A smile came to my face when I felt myself drifting off, but the moment was interrupted when a very familiar voice came over the radio.

"This is the 8492nd squadron. We have a visual on the enemy, engaging."

_God, what did I do? I mean, yeah, I know I killed a lot of people in this war so that it could end quickly but I showed mercy when I could. Ugh, okay fine. If you want me to die, I'm gonna make them work for it. _I pressed the Start and Split button on my watch, hoping that Harkin's instructions on how to use my "improved" watch actually worked.

"It's them," exclaimed Grimm.

"This is Thunderhead, Roger, 8492nd. Are those guys really traitors?"

"Yeah," growled the flight lead.

"I can't believe it," said Thunderhead unconvincingly.

"You can believe what you want, but it's the truth. 8492nd Squadron, you have permission to shoot down those planes," said Hamilton.

"8492nd, roger," said the flight lead.

"What do we do? What do we do? We're so frigging screwed," Erica panicked.

"We're still flying, aren't we?" said Kei.

"Yeah, in training jets don't have any weapons on them. We might as well crash into that island down there and save them the trouble," said Kyle.

"Pops…"

"I'll get you guys out of here. You all stay with me, now," said Pops.

"Alright, lead the way," I said.

I looked in my rear view mirror and saw the 8492nd's F-15 STOL/MTDs coming up on us fast. We all formed up behind Pops and spread out enough to give each other room to maneuver. Pops led us into a dive towards a small chain of islands down below and we all followed him closely. I brought up the rear of our formation and I tried to wake myself up by hitting the side of my head. We were flying just over three hundred feet and the 8492nd squadron was almost within missile range. The heat from the ground was interfering with their heat seeking missiles' guidance system but then we had to worry about their radar guided missiles and guns.

"What's that island down there? Dammit, my radar's out," said the 8492nd leader.

"That's a volcanic island. There's a strong magnetic field all around it. Our radar's out too, so you guys better follow me closely," said Pops.

_Alright, they can't rely on their weapon's guidance systems. If they want to use their gun, they're just going to have to spray and pray. _We started weaving through some gigantic electro-generator windmills that were located to the east of the first island we flew over. These things were bigger than the ones we saw at Akerson Hill and I honestly didn't think they could be this huge.

"That flying style… that isn't the Colonel is it?" asked the 8492nd leader.

"Colonel, you mean THE Colonel? The legendary pilot they used to call Huckebein the Raven during the last war?"

"Yeah, the most infamous traitor our country's ever produced."

"Is that you, Ashley?" asked Pops. "I kept hearing this name, "8492" and was wondering what the heck it was. Since you started calling yourselves the Grabacr Fighter Squadron in the last war, I got sick of flying in the same sky with ya. Sounds like you've strayed further from your ideals since then," said Pops.

"Ashley? That's the first time I've heard of a guy named Ashley."

"What of it?" he growled.

"Every time I hear that name, it reminds me of this bitch I knew in high school who looked like she had a few too many run-ins with the ground. I bet you look just as ugly as she was. Hell, you even sound like her," I teased.

"Blaze, I don't think you should be antagonizing him," said Kei.

"Shut you fucking mouth, bitch," said Ashley.

"…. I swear, the moment, the second I run into you assholes again, I will blow your asses out of the sky, find your bodies, and shove your heads so far up each other's asses that you'll have to swallow to take a shit in hell!" I shouted.

"You don't stand a chance against us, Castillo," said one of the 8492nd members.

"Really, why don't you ask your little hit squadron about my chances against you? Oh wait… they're all dead," I mocked.

"That would actually intimidate me if those pilots weren't new recruits."

"Bullshit, Belkan pilots are no different from the other aces I've flown against."

"Watch who you insult, Boy!"

"Say's the shit mop that's too much of a bitch to take us on in a straight up fight," I said.

I heard Ashley and his friends cut off their radios. The 8492nd was still trying to catch up and I knew they were going to try and gun for us. We needed to make it further into the mountains to continue evading them.

"The ravine is widening up ahead. What's that?" asked Grimm.

I looked ahead and rubbed my eyes so that I could see what was ahead. There was a huge field with a bunch of aircraft laying in rows. I could see B-52s, A-6s, F-15s, F-16s, F-4s, F-14s, and A-10s all lying in the field, waiting to be disassembled. It was a moving sight. The thought that everything has to come to an end eventually, scared me because I felt like the planes we were flying right now were going to end up here, with or without our bodies in them. I looked over every plane that was on the ground and I was a little disappointed when I didn't see Miranda down there.

"It's…a scrap yard," said Kei.

"This is a grave yard for scrap planes," said Grimm.

"Keep it together guys," I said, but I freaked out a little when I saw tracers shoot past my canopy.

"Pops, they're firing on us!" shouted Michelle.

Pops banked to the left and pulled a hard turn to lead us away from the 8492nd squadron. I snap rolled to the right to avoid the 8492nd's stream of bullets while I kept my eyes on Pops and the others. Ashley was gunning for me while the others of his team held formation over Pops and the others. I increased my throttle and caught up with the Kei. More bullets flew by my canopy as Ashley tried to shoot me down. Michelle was panicking because she knew I couldn't do much in this T-45. All I could do was evade his attacks, but even that was difficult. Michelle was breathing heavily and I could hear her as she struggled to keep calm.

"Just calm down, Michelle, I'm not going to let us get shot down here," I said trying to calm her down.

I saw Ashley shoot another burst at me and I barrel rolled over the stream. I was still following Pops as he led us through the mountains of the island. Bullets continued to shoot past me and impacted the cliff faces. Rubble fell all around my plane and I saw couple of large pieces hit the canopy and wings. He kept his distance away from me and I needed to get away from him. I was still going pretty fast and I had to get him off of me. Ashley tried diving on me, but he overshot his mark when I barrel rolled over him. What I didn't realize was that he now had Pops in his sight. Pops saw Ashley coming and he was about to pass over a mountain ridge. Ashley fired a burst at Pops but he was sent into an uncontrollable spin when Pops snapped the stick forward and hit Ashley's plane with his jet wash.

"That's amazing! Where did he learn to do that," asked Kei.

"He expects us to follow that?" exclaimed Grimm.

Ashley recovered from the spin and climbed back up to rejoin the others of his group, who were still flying above our formation. There was no way he was going to risk getting killed like that. We were all hugging the deck which made maneuvering extremely hard. I had to make sure my wings didn't graze the ground, tree tops, or the mountain sides. We also had to keep an eye on the 8492nd squadron to make sure they didn't try to bounce us from above. Grimm's plane was wavering and Kei's was steadier, but I could tell that she was a little hesitant of her own skills.

"Good, good, keep it up. You're doing great," assured Pops.

I knew I was doing well, but I was concerned about the others. Grimm kept panicking whenever he had a close call and Kei was delaying her maneuvers like she was trying to make sure she wouldn't crash. Erica, Kyle, and Genette were silent while Michelle's breathing had intensified. Pops was as calm as ever as he pulled all these tight maneuvers that the others had difficulty mimicking. I was pulling them as best as I could, but the G effects were taking their toll on my body. The most I've ever been able to pull without a G suit was nine, but Pops' consecutive nine G maneuvers were really starting to wear me out. By now, I was already starting to grey out. I didn't know how much longer it would be before it turned into tunnel vision, followed by me blacking out.

"Where did you learn to fly like this, Pops?!" asked Kei.

"In many air battles long ago, my young aviator!"

_So this is what it's like to fly with one of the most famous Belkan pilots of the last war?_ For a man as old as Pops, it was impressive to see him handle a plane like this. He was flying like he spent every waking minute of his life in the cockpit of a fighter jet. It was like Pops had always found his home in the sky. If flying was a woman, Pops would've been the first one to marry her. For the most part, I knew how Pops felt because I pretty much felt the same way when I flew in peace. But there was something different about him. We were flying for our lives but he didn't seem to be worried about it. It was like he could die at this very minute and be totally okay with that. Pops was just weaving through the mountains with such ease and all I could do was wonder what he was thinking. If I had a g suit on, then it would've been a lot easier to keep up with him.

"Grimm, don't deviate from the course," exclaimed Kei.

Grimm's hesitation was even more apparent when I saw him take a turn too wide. I looked up at the 8492nd's formation and saw Ashley dive for Grimm. I needed break off Ashley's attack but I didn't have any weapons. I throttled up and sped in between him and Grimm. I flew directly in front of Ashley less than fifty feet away. He tried to shoot me down with his gun but the angle I was at made is so that he couldn't hit me unless he maneuvered through my jet wash, but this guy was clever. He dove at a steeper angle and I thought he was going to break off, but he pulled up in front of me and applied full throttle in an attempt to hit me with his exhaust. If I hadn't snapped rolled to the left, Michelle and I would've been forced into the ground. Ashley rejoined the rest of his squad while I joined mine.

"Grimm, try to keep up. I don't think I can do that again," I said.

"Yes, sir," he replied and we continued flying.

"How's Genette doing?" Kei asked.

"He hasn't passed out yet," said Pops. "The guy's pretty tough."

"The cliff faces are blowing right by the canopy," shouted Grimm.

"Relax, you can do it."

"Yes, sir," said Kei confidently.

The intensity of the flight was wearing me out even more. I had to strain to keep myself from blacking out and Michelle was well aware of it.

"Blaze, you have to try and keep up with them," she said.

"I'm trying; it's just difficult right now."

_Come on, Kid. You have to dig deeper. Keep moving!_

"Right," I whispered to myself. "Michelle, grab the controls and move them with me. I want you to gain a sense of how to fly. I'll keep flying but just keep your hands on the stick and throttle."

We were flying through a valley in the middle of the island. I shot a quick glance above me to see the 8492nd still waiting for us to screw up. The more they held formation above us, the more annoyed I felt. I started to wish this plane had some kind of weapons but it didn't have any weapon systems on it. Then again, why would it? It's a training jet.

"Grimm, you doing okay," Kei asked.

"Yes, but not nearly as okay as you sound," he replied.

_I'm fine, by the way._

"We're diving into that cave now. You all ready for this?" asked Pops

"Cave?" I said.

"Up ahead is a cave that we're going to fly through. This is the short one. Are you ready?"

I sighed because I knew I had no other choice but to follow Pops. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be," I said.

The ravine started to narrow and I could see the entrance of the cave. It was huge. A creative base designer could turn this cave into a VTOL airbase. I could already imagine the base layout in my head and if I really wanted to, I could fund it myself. Anyways, I fell back behind Grimm to give him some room because of the way he was flying. As cold as it might sound, I didn't want to be taken down by Grimm if he screwed up somehow. Pops led the way inside the tunnel and we all followed him in. He wouldn't have led us through this tunnel if he wasn't sure there was another way out. My heart was racing because I hated flying in enclosed spaces. I almost had a heart attack when I flew through the tunnels of Megalith and I had to do that four times. I made sure I was awake by the time I headed in the tunnel.

"His flying is incredible," exclaimed Kei.

Grimm started yelling and grunting as he flew through the tunnel. He was handling his plane even worse than before. I wanted to say something but I felt like I would break his concentration if I did. My hands and feet were all in sync as I maneuvered through the tunnel and I felt my confidence growing as I continued flying through it.

"You need to concentrate. Stay cool," said Pops.

"Just think of this as threading the needle Grimm. If you're calm, the easier it is," I said and I flew out of the tunnel.

"Pops was pulling some amazing maneuvers," said Kei.

"I can barely keep up with him," remarked Grimm. "There's no way I can fly like that."

"You can do it, Hans," said Erica.

I leveled out for just a moment and looked above us. The 8492nd squadron was still holding formation. They were determined to make sure that we didn't make it out of here alive. I would've loved to fight these assholes man to man and show them what's up, but instead, every time we've run into them, they left us to be dealt with by others. Apparently, these douche bags were too good to get their own hands dirty so they had to kick us while we were already down. _Just you bastards wait._

"Woof, woof, woof."

"Yeah, Kirk," I said smiling to myself. "We'll show those guys we're the better aces."

"Woof," barked Kirk.

"Pops, I think the Captain has officially lost his mind," said Michelle in an attempt to be funny.

"Nah, that happened when I was ten," I said.

"Antonio…"

"I'm alright, Kei."

I was still trailing behind the others. Thoughts of hate and death were running through my mind. I didn't want to think about it, but the thoughts came anyways. Maybe I was just that tired and it caused me to be more susceptible to irritability and other thoughts like this. I hated thinking like this but I couldn't help it. The thoughts pissed me off so much that I wanted to scream in anger when I saw Pops approaching another cave. _Son of a mother's lover, this has to be some kind of test, right? _The entrance of the cave was a hell of a lot smaller than the last one and from the distance we were at, I could tell that it was used as a storage facility. This just made me suspect that this cave didn't have an exit like the last one, unless the exit was just another entrance like this. _Wait, what if the entire tunnel is just as narrow as the entrance?_ I was thinking too much and I knew it would be the end of me if I thought about it anymore. _I just have to trust Pops._

"Now we're going into that cave?" bellowed Grimm.

"Oh my God, Pops, you can't be serious," said Kyle.

"Will you guys shut the hell up? We'll be alright," I said.

We all gave each other some space as we approached the tunnel entrance. I gripped my necklace and took a deep breath before it was my turn to enter the tunnel. One by one, I watched as the others' planes flew inside and vanish from my sight. _Here we go! _I was focused on making it through the tunnel, but I wasn't expecting it to be so dark. I quickly rubbed my eyes and I adjusted to the lack of light as quickly as I could. Grimm was panicking about flying in the dark. Given that we were flying through a tunnel with little to no light making the slightest mistake extremely hazardous, while being chased by a group of pansies was extremely nerve-racking.

"Don't lose your sense of range in the darkness," said Kei.

"This is unreal. It's insane!" shouted Grimm.

"It's just barely wide enough to pass through."

"How can you fly like that?" Grimm asked Pops. "It's not human."

"Keep a wide field of vision," said Pops.

A grin appeared on my face and I started to laugh. I didn't know if I was slap happy or if I was glad I was so close to death. Michelle joined me in laughing, though I might've mistaken it for crying. All I knew was that I was having fun right now. Maybe I got a kick out of flying through a precarious environment. If I could've brought Kei here when I asked her to be my date for the Ball, I would've flown through these mountains. I wasn't scared anymore. I was having fun in this twisted state of mind I was in. Almost everyone that mattered to me was flying through this tunnel and it reminded me of this quote Lt. Colonel Harkin said to me once. _If you're going through hell, keep going._

"I can see the exit," said Kei. "There's the open sky on the other side!"

Grimm started to complain about the light and I really wanted to slap him upside his head. _First you complain it's too dark, now you're complaining it's too bright?_ I could see the exit as well and I pushed the stick over to the left. Michelle's laughter, or crying, intensified and I howled in excitement as my plane exited out of the tunnel while I performed a continuous roll. I neutralized the stick and formed up on Pops' right wing as we continued to gain altitude. Our radars had finally cleared up and I looked around to see that we weren't being followed any longer. I leaned back, closed my eyes, and breathed a sigh of relief. The sandman was beating me to death and I could've fallen asleep in the middle of an earth quake at that moment.

"This is Thunderhead, what happened to the 8492nd? We're seeing the traitors on the radar again."

"There they are again," said Grimm.

_Shit!_ I looked ahead and saw one radar signature appear on my HUD. It was an Osean F-14 Tomcat with a very familiar paint scheme that I had seen when this war had first started. _You!_

"This is Swordsman; I just found 'em, so now I just shoot 'em down?"

"Exactly," growled Hamilton.

"For Christ's sake, why won't they just leave us alone? We're innocent and even if we were guilty, it's not like we know anything vital that could benefit our enemies," cried Michelle.

"He's not really our enemy," said Pops calmly.

"What?" I asked as I watched Swordsman shoot past us and circle around to get behind our formation. I couldn't move at all. I've cheated death a number of times and it seemed like there was no way out of this one. I looked in my rearview mirror to see Swordsman closing in on us, but then he did something unexpected. I saw a light flickering from his RIO's seat and noticed he was signaling us in Morris Code. _TRUST…ME…BAIL…OUT_.

"He wants us to bail out?" asked Grimm.

"So, what do you guys think?" I asked.

"What say we trust him, then? Genette you first," said Pops.

I looked over at Pops' plane and saw the canopy fly off. Genette's chair then flew out of the cockpit, followed closely by Pops. Once they were clear, their plane erupted into flames and fell past me. The noise from the explosion was enough to startle me and cause me instinctively duck my head down.

"Swordsman to Thunderhead; splash one," said Swordsman.

"Tracked on radar, kill confirmed."

Grimm, Erica, and Kirk were the next ones to bail out, followed by Kyle and Kei. I knew he was allowing us to escape our planes but my heart took off racing when I saw the missiles impact their planes. Michelle wasted no time in pulling the ejection seat lever. The remnants of the canopy flew off and she shot out of the cockpit. _Right, now it's my turn._ I pulled the ejection lever and my seat harness pulled me tightly into the seat before it shot into the sky. I was in the air for a couple second before my parachute blossomed above me. I then witnessed my plane explode and fall towards the ocean in flames. _It's finally over. _As I hung suspended in the air, I felt myself finally drift off to sleep. The echoes of Swordsman's F-14 and the explosions faded and I could feel darkness and the cold surround me. It was the same feeling I felt when I almost died during the Curtis attack. _At least I don't feel any pain. _It was the perfect time for me to be selfish and I humbly accepted the fact that I might be dying right now. I was tough, but everyone has their limits and I was pretty sure I had reached mine. All my senses were numb but I could hear the faint echoes of voices. _This is pix; I do not see any floating debris in the water. Image faded from radar, all planes destroyed. You'd better give me a medal for this later._

I continued floating towards the ground while I slept but I couldn't feel anything. I was dreaming, about flying but I wasn't in a plane. I started to feel the breeze on my face as I flew in the bright blue sky, but suddenly, everything began to grow dark and I felt myself become even colder. I couldn't breathe either. I didn't know what was going on and I struggled to try and draw air into my lungs, but the more I tried, the more I felt the darkness envelope me. _I got you, Captain. I won't let you go!_ The echoes started to sound off in my head again. At first it was just one, and then I heard the roar of amonster in the darkness. I tried looking around frantically but I didn't see anything. The roar grew even louder and I still couldn't breathe. When the roar was close enough, I started to feel like something was breathing on me. That's when I saw the pair of green eyes reveal themselves. I was scared. I wanted to run but I couldn't move. I wanted to yell in terror but I still couldn't breathe. The eyes began to take form into a tall red headed woman wearing all black. She wore a black cape and a knight's helmet that had black wings jutting out from the sides. _Razgriz! _She was looking down at me and I was petrified at the sight of her. She continued to roar at me and she scooped me up in her hand. I tried to struggle but it wasn't any use. Razgriz brought me closer to her face and she looked at me as I tried to break loose of her grip. I paused from my struggle to see her face turn into a black cloud that flew up and swirl around above me. Razgriz's entire body soon evaporated into the black cloud. I was suffocating and I feared what else this demon would do to me. The black cloud shot down towards me and I tried putting up my hands to try and block what was happening but it wasn't any use. The cloud forced its way down my throat and I thought my insides were going to burst, but they didn't. A few seconds after the cloud went inside me, I could breathe again. I felt myself coughing and spit up some kind of foul tasting liquid. I could feel someone wrap their arms around me and the warmth of their body as I continued to cough up the liquid. _Come back to me!_ My eyes slowly opened and all I could see was a blinding white light and someone's silhouette. My breathing was rapid and I could feel my body shivering as I grabbed the sleeve of whoever's arm was holding me.

"It's okay, I got you," said a voice.

"Kei…" I felt myself whisper and I reached out for the person's silhouette. My hand was on the person's cheek and I could see Kei's blurry face as she leaned to the side and blocked the light so that I could see that it was her. I wanted to say more, but I couldn't. I felt myself fading into darkness again and it enveloped me. I could finally rest ,knowing that Kei was okay. I didn't know where we were at the moment or where we were going. I just let go of everything that was on my mind and I drifted off to sleep as Kei held me.

**Location unknown, 1016hrs**

We were moving when I felt myself go to sleep, but a sudden stop had woken me up. It took a second to realize I was on a helicopter with everyone else. The squad of armed Marines that sat across from us made me a little uneasy. My hand was already on my knife but Kei had placed her hand over it like she was telling me to relax. Other than that, I felt extremely cold. We were no longer in the tropics and I was shivering uncontrollably. Kei pulled me even closer to her so that I could stay warm while we got off the helicopter. We were on an aircraft carrier that was docked in a river outlet between two huge cliff faces. I thought I was on the HMS King Richard, but the number 30 painted on the carrier's tower made me realize that we were on the Kestrel. _These guys are trying to gain the credit for capturing us! _I reached for my knife again and unbuttoned the strap. I couldn't let them take me and my team to rot in prison and I sure as hell couldn't let them take my bag. I was going to wait for them to make their move first before I did anything. We followed a Marine as he led us below deck. Some of the ship's crew was giving us nasty looks while others seemed like they were star struck when they saw us. The Marine led us to the carrier's briefing room and set us down in the seats. A man was looking at a set of numbers that were being projected on white board and we couldn't see who it was. We were all still soaking wet and I really wanted to go back to sleep. I knew the others felt the same way and the last thing we wanted to do was be lectured to by some asshole who didn't know what was really going on. _I bet this guy is the Captain of this ship._

"You guys just can't seem to keep yourselves out of trouble, can you?" said the man in a chipper tone. None of us said anything and we all glanced at each other. "However, thanks to you, my job just got a lot easier."

The man turned around and looked at us. "Harkin," I muttered.

"Your attorney," asked Michelle.

"Yeah," I said looking at him with tired eyes and scowl.

"Don't look so excited to see me, Kid," said Harkin.

"What are you doing here?" I asked like I was bored.

"Is there a problem here, Captain?" asked Harkin.

I threw my head back breathed a heavy sigh as I gathered my thoughts. I stood up out of my seat, ready to go off on Lt. Colonel Harkin. "Where should I start? How about I point out that all of this started because Belka persuaded Yuktobania to declare war on Osea and now we, The Demons of Razgriz, are on the run from our superiors, who turned out to be Belkan sleeper agents, who want us dead so this war can drag on. The Osean President is missing and no one has any idea where he is. I also had to leave my sister behind on Sand Island and chances are she's in some pretty deep shit by now. She probably thinks I'm dead and so does my mother. I'm also starting to think that Chopper's RIO is probably dead because Hamilton told me he wanted to transfer to Cape Landers. I'm standing here, trying to tell you what my problem is while I'm freezing my ass off in these wet clothes and now you're trying to explain something that couldn't wait until tomorrow? Or at least, until we had gotten some clean clothes and a hot meal that didn't taste like shit?!" I shouted. The whole time I was ranting, I had walked around the room three times while everyone gawked at me.

"When's the last time you got a full night's rest, Kid?" Harkin asked.

"Twenty-eight hours, forty-six minutes and thirty-seven seconds ago," I said quickly as I glanced at my watch. "But who's counting anyways?" I laughed.

"Has he been physically stressed at all during this time?" Harkin asked the others.

"He fought over a dozen Belkan pilots single handedly, rescued us from captivity, and flew from Sand Island, all the way to where we were shot down without wearing a G suit," said Erica.

Harkin looked at me as I started doing logarithms on the board the numbers were being projected on. I was rambling to myself and I had no idea what I was saying or what I was doing. I must've been making sense of the numbers because they had somehow managed to change into letters.

"Is he alright?" asked Grimm.

"He's physically and mentally exhausted," said Kei. "I do the same thing when I'm just as tired as he is."

"Song Bird has stopped singing, permission to free bird, STOP! Site three," I rambled.

"If he's that tired, why doesn't he just collapse from exhaustion?" asked Kyle.

"Because when we were in Project Pitbull, our handlers forced us to keep pushing our limits. We had to stay active somehow so that we wouldn't get beaten."

"Wait, how do you know about this?" asked Erica.

"Because I went through the same exact thing he did," said Kei.

"Isn't Disney World a people trap operated by a mouse?" I asked. "Michelle, if blondes have more fun, would you know it?"

Erica and Kyle were trying so hard not to laugh while Kei continued to explain everything. She told the others about her involvement in Project Pitbull as well but they didn't seem to believe Kei either. Harkin tried getting me to calm down but it wasn't any use. I was doodling on the board and I had no idea what I was drawing. Harkin tried taking the markers out of my hand but I kept pulling them away from him. I couldn't think straight anymore and I felt as though my mind was a TV and I didn't have control over the remote. I was just too slap happy and everyone seemed to be getting a kick out of it except for Kei. She knew I could end up hurting myself and she knew that if someone tried to sedate me, things could turn ugly. Kei walked up to me, gently placed her hand on my shoulder, and whispered 'sorry' into my ear.

**December 8, 2010 0530hrs OFS Kestrel**

When woke up to the sound of my watch alarm going off, the first thing I noticed was Kei sleeping next to me as she rested her head on my chest. She must've been glad to get a new change of clothes. A white tank top and grey sweat pant must've felt great to sleep in. I was also wearing a new change of clothes and my first thought was to guess how I got into them. The bed we were sleeping on was extremely small but Kei didn't seem to care at all. We were in a small room that could fit two people but Kei chose to sleep with me, not that I had a problem with it. I wrapped my arm around her and used my free hand to stroke her hair. She was still asleep and I didn't want to disturb her. There was a certain ecstasy I felt whenever Kei and I had our moments like this. I rested my head back onto my pillow and closed my eyes for a few more minutes. When Kei woke up, we stared at each other and I smiled. I knew she knocked me out so that I could finally get some rest and I was glad she did.

"Good morning, how did you sleep?" Kei asked.

"Great, I feel like I could go for another round with all those Belkan pilots again," I said and Kei looked at me annoyed. "Not that I'll go looking for a fight like that again."

"Yeah, okay," said Kei like she didn't believe me. "Anyway, your boss said you should go see him ASAP. He's got some things he wants to go over with you."

"Like what?" I asked.

"Oh, you'll see," Kei said smiling.

Kei got up and started to get dressed into her flight suit. _Why is she in her flight suit?_ Once she was dressed, she threw me a new flight suit as well and I put it on. As far as I knew, the Osean military thought we were dead and with this being an Osean Federation Ship, I was starting to wonder if they thought we were actually dead. Once we were both dressed, we headed out of the room we slept in and made our way through a series of corridors until we got to the aircraft hangar. Lt. Colonel Harkin was talking to one of the mechanics as he worked on the missile pylons on an F-14 and F-18. By the amount of tech that was hooked up to them, I could tell that they weren't doing standard maintenance on the planes. Grimm and Erica were sitting in the cockpit of the F-14 while Kyle and Michelle were talking over by the aircraft elevators. We were the only people in here. Kei explained everything that Harkin had told the others after she had knocked me out. Lt. Colonel Harkin needed us for unsanctioned operations within Belka. Everyone opposed the idea of carrying out this mission as a rouge unit because we had no idea what we'd be up against. It took a lot of convincing but the others agreed to take part in this operation only if I agreed to contribute. If there was still a way to expose the truth, I was all for it, but the only thing that worried me was how exactly we were going to operate.

"Hey, Kid, it's great to see you. How are you feeling?" asked Harkin.

"Way better than I did yesterday," I replied. "So what's up?"

"I'm sure the lovely Miss Nagase has told you about what I'm doing here. Now, all I need is your answer."

"Does the bear shit in the woods?" I replied. Harkin smiled and he shook my hand. Everyone else noticed I had arrived and started making their way towards us. They all seemed happy to see me and we all shared a few words of appreciation for each other. We were all headed into the unknown and my team felt comfortable knowing that I was leading them. It seemed stupid when I thought about it more and more because I was just as much in the dark as they were. "Alright, sir, what've you got for us?"

"I got some good news and some bad news so I hope you're ready for this," said Harkin. "You and your team have been confirmed KIA and the Osean government branded you all traitors. Your friends and family are under intense investigation and all remnants of the US military have been disavowed. That's the bad news."

"And the good news," I asked.

"The good news is that now we have the freedom to do what needs to be done," said Harkin.

"Which is?" Kei asked.

I was intrigued as to what Harkin's been up to since this war started. "I work for a secret international organization that specializes in the espionage and sabotage of other countries that aren't part of this organization."

"The IOSS (International Office of Strategic Services)," asked Grimm.

"That's correct, but for now, I'm limited to the information I can give you. All I can tell you for now is that we need Wardog's help to rescue the President tomorrow. I'm here to make sure these operations run smoothly and so that I could provide you all with some special equipment," said Harkin. "Rico, take it away."

The mechanic who was working on the planes turned around to reveal his face. I was actually surprised to see Rico here because I thought he retired. He still had that goofy smile on his face while he approached us. One thing going through my mind was wondering why he was here. He shook mine and Kei's hands before he brought us over to the F-14 he was working on.

"I know if you had this kind of tech at the start of the war, you wouldn't have had to worry about your ammo situation. You're going to love this, all of you," said Rico.

"You know him, Blaze," asked Michelle.

"What, he hasn't told you?" asked Rico.

"I tried to, they just don't believe me," I said.

"Ha! I knew they wouldn't believe you," said Rico. "I was a member of his ground crew while he was flying as Mobius 1."

Harkin whacked Rico upside the head because he just blurted out my biggest secret and for all he knew, we weren't alone. After Harkin chewed him out a bit, he turned towards me and my team to explain the equipment he brought with him, but he was interrupted.

"No, he's Mobius 1!" exclaimed Michelle as she pointed at Harkin.

Harkin sighed in frustration and rubbed the back of his neck. "No, I'm not."

"But I saw your picture in the paper after you destroyed Stonehenge."

"Yeah, and?"

"You're Mobius 1."

_Jesus Christ, I shouldn't have told them._ "Yeah, he's Mobius 1. Rico, as you were saying," I said.

"Right, so here's the run down on your new equipment. Antonio already knows all about this, but everything I'm about to show you is based on the technology of Strangereal's first inhabitants. These guys were fucking smart," said Rico. "Watch, this is so cool. Colonel, if you don't mind."

Harkin went to the other side of the hanger, got on an ordinance cart, and brought over a rack of eight sidewinder missiles. He loaded one missile onto the pylon and Rico proceeded to press a couple of buttons on the computer. A dim green light suddenly started to glow between the missile and pylon. The light then projected a grid over the missile and then, it vanished in the blink of an eye. The missile was no longer on the pylon and was nowhere to be seen. Everyone looked at Rico and saw that his goofy smile had turned into a maniacal laugh. Harkin loaded another missile onto the pylon and the missile disappeared the same way the first on did. Everyone stood still in total confusion as Harkin and Rico made the remaining six missiles disappear off the pylon.

"What the hell happened to those missiles?" asked Michelle.

"They're in storage," said Rico indifferently

"Where," asked Kei.

"You didn't show them your watch?" Harkin asked.

I rolled up my left sleeve and held my wrist up so that everyone could see my watch. "See my watch." I said sarcastically.

"You didn't show them what else it could do?"

"Uh, it's water resistant up to two hundred meters. It can record my time for each of the thirty laps I run around a track, and it also has a tracking device."

"You didn't read my note about the storage capabilities I had the R&D guys put in it?"

"Uh…"

"Never mind, hold the Mode button," said Harkin. I held down the button and dim green light projected out the top of my watch. "Now use the Start and Split buttons to navigate between the items I had already put in there."

I pressed the start button a couple of times and saw the holographic images of a box of gummy worms, a tall can of my favorite sweet tea/ lemonade, and a MRE (Meal Ready to Eat). Harkin then told me to slap the top of my watch when the item I want is selected. I chose the can of tea and slapped my hand on top my watch. To my amazement, the can materialized and hovered above my wrist when I moved my hand away and I didn't know what to do. Everyone looked at me, waiting for me to grab the bottle.

"Go ahead, take it," encouraged Harkin.

I hesitated when I grabbed the bottle and once I got hold of it, the light on my watch disappeared. _This is so freaking cool! I didn't think they could integrate this into a watch._ I opened the can and chugged the drink. I couldn't remember the last time I tasted something as great as this. Everyone else just gazed at me and I knew they wanted one.

"Alright, that's pretty freaking sweet," I said followed by burping. "How much can I fit in here and is there a weight capacity?" I asked.

"It depends on the volume of the item you put in. Right now it can hold up to a cubic meter of anything. For example, the bottle I put in there has a volume of around fifty cubic centimeters. Now subtract that from a million cubic centimeters and you have that much room left in your storage," said Harkin.

"So you fitted these planes with this kind of thing?" asked Kyle.

"Exactly, however, it does have its drawbacks," said Rico. "For example, after you fire a missile, you have to wait a minute before the next missile is ready to launch. Another drawback is that we can only fit one type of weapon onto each pylon. We can still equip your planes with different weapons, depending on the number of pylons it has. The number of missiles each pylon can hold is limited, depending on the size of the weapon," said Rico.

My team couldn't stop gawking at what they were being shown. I was extremely impressed with all of this when they showed me it the first time. Rico tried to explain how all of this worked but he lost them after he said something about the light being the key to all of it. He then went on to explain how the cockpits of each plane were upgraded and how they were able to get their hands on upgraded sidewinder missiles. They were fitted with radar and heat seeking guidance systems so that they were now able to track air and ground targets. All of this equipment was only revealed to a certain people for special assignments. I knew the others were wishing we had this stuff at the start of the war because I really wish that I still had access to it. I went off to explore the rest of the ship while Lt. Colonel Harkin and Rico continued talking with my team about some of the things we'd be using during this operation. I made my way to the top deck and saw Captain Snow's F-14 being prepped for a hop. I saw him talking to his RIO. At least that's who I assumed he was talking to. _I figure I'd better thank him for helping us._

"Captain Snow," I said as I saluted him. Since he was a Naval Captain, Swordsman was the equivalent of a Marine Colonel. I had to salute him, but since we were considered dead, I could've just casually greeted him.

"Captain," he replied as he put me at ease. "Can I help you?"

"No, I just wanted to say thanks for helping us out."

"Oh, you're welcome," said Captain Snow and he turned to continue talking with his RIO. I couldn't see his face, but something about him seemed familiar. The jet black hair, tan skin, and Australian accent was enough to make my skin crawl.

"Daniel Orosco," I muttered.

"Piss off, Castillo," said Daniel.

"Glad to see you haven't mellowed with age, Danny" I said as I folded my arms and leaned against the carrier's control tower.

"You two know each other?" asked Captain Snow.

"Yeah, he was my RIO when I first started out as a combat pilot," I said and Snow looked at me like I was joking.

"Yeah right, he's been my RIO for the past four years," said Swordsman.

_Of course, I can't tell him the full story about how I knew him._ I spent the next few minutes catching up with the duo until the ground crew had finished preparing their F-14. Danny was originally a member of the Osean Defense Force who volunteered to join the ISAF and I just happened to be paired up with him when I started flying for them. Danny's attitude towards my flying was similar to Michelle's, but he had more reason to be afraid of flying with me. When I first started out, I honestly didn't care if I lived or died. Flying for the ISAF was my shot at fulfilling my death wish at the time and Danny soon figured it out. He was afraid to fly with me but as time went on, I changed and we eventually came to trust each other until we had a falling out after Operation Bunker Shot. From what I've seen, Captain Snow and Danny had a good thing going as pilot and RIO. Swordsman was in good hands but I was nervous about trusting him. Yeah, he saved our lives but he sure didn't seem too happy about us being here. Some of the Kestrel's crew seemed to have the same attitude towards us, so I kept my guard up the whole time.

I sat on the deck as I watched Swordsman taxi his F-14 into position. The ground crews were running all over the place, making sure everything was ready to go. Once the F-14 was in position, the ground crew hooked the front landing gear up to the catapult. Everyone started waving their hands in the air, trying to communicate with each other over the engine noise. After the blast barriers were raised, Swordsman and Danny both saluted to signal that they were ready for launch. I saw the AB, or the Aviation Boatswain's mate, throw both of his hands in the air to signal the catapult operator. The AB then knelt down and pointed towards the bow of the ship. Swordsman's F-14's engines roared to life and a couple seconds later, the plane shot off the deck. I had no idea where they were going or what they were going to do. The F-14 wasn't armed and Swordsman had changed his heading to the east. I didn't know if I was going to be under his command while we were here but if we were, I just had to deal with it.

**Thanks to everyone who's been following and reviewing my story. I really appreciate it. If there's anything that I need to clear up about any part of this story so that I don't confuse anyone, just let me know. Also, I'm thinking about starting a new story that follows Antonio while he was flying as Mobius 1, but it might take some time to actually get to the actual combat of the story. **

**P.S. I told one of my friends about my ideas about who Green really is and he practically went ape shit over the idea I planned on using. So now I have to ask you about who you think Green should be: Pops, Colonel Bishop (Ace Combat Assault Horizon), Cipher, Pixy, PJ (AC Zero), or Razgriz. Send me a PM on who you think Green should or shouldn't be. Or if you'd like, I could write six alternant endings and base my next story off the ending I originally planned. **


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